


Frozen Dreams

by Swan3ills



Category: Frozen Queen - Fandom, Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-06
Updated: 2015-05-20
Packaged: 2018-02-07 15:58:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 123,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1905009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swan3ills/pseuds/Swan3ills
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the finale (3x22). Regina is walking alone in the park when a mysterious figure comes to join her in her solitude. A broken spirit just like her own, finds a perfect match in the former Evil Queen. Can two frozen hearts find the way to rebuild their dreams and not shatter in the process?  Frozen Queen, with Swan Queen struggle in the beginning.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Elsa might appear prissy/annoying in the beginning but that's because she just got out of a fricking urn and is defensive.

Regina had left the diner and was walking alone in the park after Robin Hood had reunited with his wife. Emma had brought her back from the Enchanted Forest and by doing that, she destroyed Regina's second chance at a possible happy ending. "Like mother, like daughter." The brunette sniffed and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye as she sat in one of the lonely benches facing the lake.

A chilly wind was blowing and she wrapped her arms around herself in a shiver. Not only was her heart cold again, but also the weather was becoming unforgiving. It wasn't a normal wind, however, and Regina could almost taste the magic swirling in the ambient. "What is this magic?" She mumbled and got up from the bench to walk toward the lake.

The moon was bright above her head and reflected a beautiful image over water. Regina looked down and saw her face reflected, quite beaten, with reddened eyes and traces of tears that had already dried on the sides of her cheeks. "Pull yourself together. You deserve much better than a silly romance with some thief." She told herself to repress the pain, but her tears continued flowing; heart not listening to what her brain was telling.

A glistening tear fell from her cheek and landed over water, and Regina watched as the whole lake began to freeze. "What's happening?" She was stunned.

A blue and white glow started to emerge from the surface and Regina witnessed how ice rising from the lake turned into a lady dressed in royal attire. She looked from bottom to top at the woman in sky blue silk and she knew this lady could only come from their fairy tale land. "Looks like Miss Swan brought another souvenir from her honeymoon with the handless wonder." The brunette muttered and prepared herself for the worst; magic tickling her fingertips.

"Who are you?" Regina asked in a firm tone. "Who are YOU?" The other woman asked in return, mimicking Regina's tone. She was clearly not in the best mood after breaking free from her imprisonment.

"I am your Majesty, Queen of the Enchanted Forest." The dark woman said in regal manner. She didn't feel much like that anymore but, judging by the looks of the other lady, it would make more sense than presenting herself as Mayor of Storybrooke.

Sapphire eyes stared in suspicion and eyed her up and down, trying to make something out of her strange modern attire. "My name is Elsa, Queen of Arendelle." The younger woman answered in a similar regal fashion. "I'm sorry but the Queen of Arendelle is Anna. I've never heard of an Elsa." Regina went in her memories. As Queen, she had knowledge of every realm's rulers and she had never heard of one with that name.

Elsa felt irritated by her comment but at the same time was conflicted. She looked down to the frozen water and brought her hands to her chest. "That's because they banished me after discovering I had magic." The blonde said with sadness.

Regina looked closely at her gesture and felt sympathy for the broken girl before her. She kind of reminded her of herself when she was younger and hopeless; trapped inside her mother's leash. And then she remembered Zelena who was dumped like a piece of garbage, all because she didn't suit Cora's needs. Not being wanted or accepted by your own family, for who you were, was a terrible fate and she couldn't relate more to this dethroned Queen. "I'm sorry." Was all Regina could tell her.

"This isn't the Enchanted Forest. Where am I?" Elsa asked with confusion as she looked at the surroundings. "No, it's not. You are in Storybrooke." Regina replied and removed her black gloves from her hands. "Would you like to come home with me?" Regina offered. She knew well how it felt like to be an outcast.

"It's getting colder." The brunette noted. "The cold doesn't bother me... Actually, it is my fault the lake has frozen." Elsa shrugged and offered an apologetic smile. "But the night is falling and I think you could use a warm bed after the trip you've just made." Regina extended a hand to her. "Come."

Elsa looked at the hand warily but took it. Regina somehow inspired her confidence and she stepped outside the frozen lake and immediately retrieved her hand from Regina's. "Thank you." She said with a faint blush on her cheeks. "You're welcome." Regina half smiled.

The mayor noticed how with every step they made the grass beneath them turned to ice, but the girl's hand had felt warm inside hers. It was something she didn't really pay much mind to, but Elsa did. Her magic was too unpredictable and she lived with the fear of having involuntary outbursts that might harm people she didn't want hurting.

"What is that thing?" The blonde asked with curiosity, looking at the black Mercedes Regina was headed to. "It is a car… rriage from this world." The brunette answered warmly and opened the passenger door for her. "This world?" Elsa asked in bewilderment while getting inside. "Yes. You crossed dimensions, but I will explain that later." Regina responded and turned the key to start the engine, what made the blonde jump in her seat from the spook of the un-familiar noise.

Regina smiled gently and drove the way to 108 on Mifflin Street to bring her new guest and provide her a warm bed. She was still upset after meeting lady Marian, so focusing on this new resident of Storybrooke helped her get distracted from the hurt. It also helped they were resembled broken spirits and she thought it was best to become allies, rather than enemies.

Regina parked the car and went to open the door for Elsa, but when she looked at the blonde she noticed she had fallen asleep during the ride and her eyes stared a little too long at the sleeping woman.  _How beautiful._ The mayor thought and immediately shook her head to bring her mind back from wherever it had gone to momentarily. "Elsa." Regina squeezed lightly on her shoulder to awaken her.

Elsa wasn't used to being touched and she immediately grabbed onto Regina's forearm and her magic started to swirl around it. Ice began to cover Regina's entire arm as the girl tried focused her blurry sight. "Majesty! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you!" Elsa cried out feeling guilty and embarrassed as she retrieved her hand.

"It's alright, Elsa." Regina told her and hovered her left hand over the frozen right, to make ice melt and she could flex her fingers without a problem. "You can use magic?" Elsa's eyes opened widely. "Yes. Now, let's get inside, dear." Regina offered her hand again and Elsa smiled shyly as she took it.

Both Queens went inside the manor and Elsa's eyes couldn't stop from going all around the place. It was very different from what she was used to see, but with some decorative accents that kept a resemblance to the Victorian style she had in her own palace.

"Your castle is quite beautiful, Highness. A little small, but charming non-the-less." Elsa told her as her hand caressed the cushion of the sofa she was sitting in. "It's Regina. And it doesn't feel as small when you're living in it alone." Regina shared with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Regina? But you said you were the Queen of the Enchanted Forest… Isn't that Eva?" Elsa immediately stood up and put her hands forward, magic swirling around them. Her life in Arendelle had all but taught her not to trust in anyone.

"She is since long dead. I was King Leopold's second wife." Regina told her and grimaced at the memory. That had been by far the worst chapter of her life and she didn't like remembering.

"But if it makes you feel better to attack me, go right ahead. I no longer care what becomes of me." Regina said tiredly and leant against the cream colored wall behind her.

Elsa looked at Regina with confusion and lowered her hands. The ice that had begun covering wooden floors started to fade and she slowly walked closer to the brunette.

"I'm sorry… it's just… difficult for me to trust." She said and felt incredibly bad for being rude with her hostess.

"I can actually relate to that." Regina sighed. "Would you still like a room?" She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yes. I'm sorry about that outburst, Regina." The blonde offered an apologetic smile while she rubbed her left arm with her right hand in guilt. "I find it difficult to control this." She said as she looked at her hand that still glowed white, though more dimly now.

Regina nodded and signaled the lady to follow after her. They moved upstairs and the brunette lead her to the guest room. She showed her where the blankets and towels were and even let her borrow one of her silk pajamas. This woman was royalty just like her and so Regina summoned her best for the younger woman to wear.

"Sleep well." Regina said after showing her how to turn off the lights and leaving the room.

* * *

In the morning, the smell of coffee traveled the air and Elsa's nostrils picked up on the scent. She slowly opened her eyelids and started to follow the alluring fragrance downstairs, not even bothering to make herself presentable for her hostess. They weren't in their fairytale land and formalities were kind of  _unnecessary_  so early in the morning.

She peeked her head into the kitchen and watched as Regina began cracking eggs to make an omelet. "Good morning." The blonde said shyly from the entrance.

"Did you have a good sleep?" Regina asked her without turning around, as she was paying careful attention to her perfect breakfast.

"The best ever." Elsa said while she stretched and yawned.

"I'm glad to hear that." Regina told her and smiled faintly.

The doorbell interrupted silence in the manor and Regina asked Elsa to help her with the omelet so she could attend to the person calling. "I have… never…" Elsa was saying when Regina completed for her. "Cooked, I figure." Regina wasn't shocked because such was the life of a born regnant. "Could you please attend to the door for me?" Regina asked instead. "Indeed I could." She answered politely and made her way to the entrance.

She turned the knob an opened the door to greet the visitor and a certain blonde looked at her from top to bottom and then up again. Emma saw messy hair and silk grey pajamas she knew belonged to the mayor; a piece Henry had shared with her so she could wear something different for a change, back when she just came to Storybrooke herself.

Emma's brow furrowed in disgust and she took a step forward trying to look behind the younger woman.

"Ummm... Hi. Is Regina home?" The older woman asked dryly.

"Yes. And it is her  _Majesty_." The younger blonde answered sharply and sized the other woman as well.

Emma rolled her eyes and remembered two days before when Regina had said the same thing to her. Well, not Regina, the Evil Queen from the Past.  _Wait a minute! Who is this new chick in town and why did she refer to Regina as her Majesty? Could it be someone from the past? Fuck!_  Emma realized she never went to check if the portal had closed completely after they left.  _Crap! I'm in even deeper shit._  Emma said inside her head.

"I need to speak to her." She pushed her aside and started calling for Regina.

Emma picked up on the smell of food and knew just were to find the mayor. She went into the kitchen and called Regina's name again, with Elsa running behind her enraged telling her what a ruthless peasant with absolutely no manners she was.

"Miss Swan... Inviting yourself over, how lovely." Regina said sarcastically as she dried her hands with a towel and turned off the stove.

"I didn't come for breakfast. I need to talk to you." Emma told her slowly. "In private." The mature blonde spared a glance at the young woman with arms crossed.

"Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of... my friend, unless it concerns Henry." Regina said with fake serenity, brow furrowing.

"Okay… Who the hell is this... person?" Emma asked angrily as she pointed at Elsa with a hand, clearly bothered by her presence.

"Regina, why do you let a peasant speak to you with that tone?" Elsa protested and moved to stand beside the brunette. "That is no way to address royalty." Elsa scolded, feeling for some reason highly upset by the other woman's intrusion.

"Seriously? Who are you, little miss princess brat?" Emma muttered.

"How dare you! I'm Elsa, Queen of Arendelle. Show some respect, commoner!" The younger woman proclaimed.

"What the hell? She's real, too?" Emma turned to look at Regina incredulously.

"I could show you just how real I am!" Elsa pointed at her with a finger but involuntarily sent several crystals of ice flying in direction of the savior. But Regina was ready for an outburst like that and she used her magic to turn the stalactites into snow as they traveled the air and allowed them to hit Emma in her face and chest painfully.

"Hey! Let it go!" Emma complained as she covered herself with her hands. "I came here to apologize, Regina." The older blonde blurted as she cleaned her blue leather jacket with one of Regina's towels. "About last night. I really didn't know who she was." Her tone was softer this time and her gaze apologetic.

"Get out of my sight before I regret sparing your life." Regina yelled with a broken voice, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Regina, please." Emma could feel her own eyes filling with water. "We can't be like this. Think about our son." Emma pleaded.

"GET OUT!" Regina yelled and Emma turned around with hesitation to leave the building but did as Regina ordered.

"What was all of that?" Elsa put a hand over Regina's shoulder gently.

"Emma Swan, that's what happened." Regina's voice was gritty while she continued crying.


	2. Chapter 2

Regina's voice was gritty while she continued crying after her confrontation with Emma. This woman always managed to bring out the worst of her and she hated she couldn't really bring herself to harm her. So much had Regina changed since she left the Enchanted forest and some times it was a burden than she had a conscience now.

"Is she the reason why you were crying by the lake?" Elsa asked her with genuine concern. "Yes." She answered weakly.

"Would you mind sharing? Some times it is good to have someone to talk to." The blonde asked shyly and was hopeful Regina would open up to her. For some reason, she needed to hear her story. She looked just as broken and she felt herself.

"With one condition." Regina wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and went to serve the omelets on each plate. "Anything." Elsa looked closely.

"Please make yourself presentable." Regina pleaded and the younger woman hadn't blushed redder in her life.

"Oh dear! I completely forgot." The woman ran upstairs and tried to remember how Regina explained to use the shower.

"Is everything alright up there?" Regina asked from the stairs after hearing a squeal. "Huh... yes. Sort of. Is it normal it is sprinkling water everywhere?" The woman asked loudly. "I'm coming to check." Regina answered and made it to the guest room. She knocked on the door to the bathroom and Elsa told her to come in.

Regina entered and blinked eyes when she saw the woman standing there with no more than wavy long platinum hair cascading over her assets to cover just enough. "Ahem." Regina cleared her throat and remembered some of the princesses were used to having a maid help them in their baths and it wasn't something that made them embarrassed.

The Arendellian had turned the water to sprinkle from the hose hanging in the wall and it was, indeed, splashing everywhere. Regina turned on the right knob and water started coming from the shower in the ceiling like a rainfall, but it was really cold and she adjusted it to a warmer temperature.

"This is shampoo for your hair. It goes before the conditioner, which is the one with the thicker texture." Regina showed her. "And this is soap!" Elsa grabbed a perfumed bar from the counter. "At last, something I am familiar with." She exhaled deeply. "I prefer this." She said to the brunette with relief. "Then everything is set. I will wait for you downstairs." Regina told her and turned around to leave.

"You're not going to help me?" Elsa asked nervously. "How will I get my back?" She asked her with honest worry and Regina blushed lightly. The brunette then summoned a soft brush with a long handle and placed it in the other woman's hands. "With this. It is wonderful." She smiled and made her way out.

* * *

Regina moved to place the meals over the table in the dinning room after re-heating them in the microwave. "Could you bring the coffee cups, please?" She asked and Elsa followed after the brunette. She set the elegant white cups in the corner of their placemats and took the seat next to Regina to have breakfast.

"She spoke about a son you both share. Did you conceive him through magic?" The blonde commented and her cheeks flushed rosy pink. "In a way, yes, but it is not what you're thinking. It's much more complex." Regina could read the younger woman's expression and wondered how to elaborate. She started telling her about how she'd come to Storybrooke, or rather; how she created the small town in the middle of 'nowhere' Maine.

She shared with Elsa how her thirst for revenge pushed her to the limits until she enacted the Dark Curse her mentor provided. "I'm not proud of having given into darkness." The brunette told her and sipped from her black coffee. "But I don't regret it either, because it got me my son." The now composed lady told her. "Miss Swan was destined to break the curse because that was how he designed it." Regina dabbed the corner of her lip with a napkin elegantly.

"Everyone still seems me as the Evil Queen." Regina's voice turned gloomy. "It doesn't matter how many times I prove myself worthy of a second chance." She sighed deeply.

"I understand." Elsa looked into glassy brown eyes with empathy. "My own father feared I would turn into an evil witch with a heart of ice." The younger woman said and swirled her spoon inside the small cup pensively. "And he went the lengths needed to prevent that."

Regina noticed the pained expression in Elsa's face and she remembered her own desolation whenever Cora pointed out how disappointed she was in her, and slipped a hand across the table and placed it atop of the other woman's to distract her from the hurtful memories. Elsa looked at the hand resting over hers and felt her heart skip a beat.

"You don't have a frozen heart, Elsa. You just don't know how to control your magic." Regina told her and squeezed her hand gently. It was such a foreign sensation that it made her magic tickle in her fingertips with nervousness and the hand that had been stirring her coffee sent a sparkling light that turned the liquid into hard ice.  _Indeed I don't._  She blushed.

Regina was the second person to show her kindness, after her very own parents had forced her to wear a pair of enchanted gloves from an early age to seal her magic and everyone in the palace avoided touching her at all, including the people who brought her into the world.

Warmth was an old time memory from when her little sister used to beg her to play building snowmen in secret, but that had stopped when they had their little incident. "I didn't mean to hurt her, but my parents refused to believe me." She told Regina and curled her hands into fists. "And what happened?" Regina felt intrigued by her story; it seemed like Cora wasn't the only parent punishing with magic.

Elsa told her she hid in her parents' carriage one night when they went into the depths of the forest to meet with a dark wizard. She watched them argue over a deal they had made and how his gloves had come to fail. The fearsome warlock told them the girl's magic was only going to grow bigger and they would have to find another way to conceal it, or guide it. He told them to let him become her mentor but the King and Queen refused to accept such an offer.

* * *

(Flashback)

"Not even if you lock her, will you be able to control her." The warlock told them. He then summoned a brass urn and presented it to the Monarch. "This is enchanted with a spell that can keep her contained, in case she slips out of hand. Literally." The imp chuckled queerly at the image in his mind. "But the price will be steep." He grimaced.

The Queen turned to look at the King with anguish and told him not to accept but he was more preoccupied for his kingdom, as his realm didn't support the use of magic. If they found out the princess was a natural wielder, a mob could arise to dethrone the current rulers and hang them together with their linage.

"How much gold do you want?" King Agdar asked him. "You see, *I* make gold. It is not a fortune what I'm after." Rumplestiltskin told him. "Then what is it?" The King asked firmly. "Time is a far more precious treasure, Highness. I want twenty years from each of your lives to keep for myself." The Dark One said after seeing something in his visions.

"No!" Queen Idun yelled. "I am not lowering my price, dearie." Rumplestiltskin sing-song. "It is our only resort, Idun." Her husband told her. "Will she die in that prison?" The Queen asked the warlock with despair. "No. It will be like being frozen in time... Not a day would go by for her, my Queen." The evil imp grinned his yellow crooked teeth.

Queen Idun looked at her husband with worry and then at the brass urn the dark wizard was holding. She took a deep breath and then gathered the courage to accept the deal. "If there is no other way." She wrapped her arms around her torso. "It is your decision, Agdar." She told him and sighed deeply.

"Do we have a deal?" Rumplestiltskin extended his hand to the King. "Yes. I would rather have my daughter frozen in time than rotting by your side." The regal man answered and didn't shake the wizard's hand. Rumplestiltskin feigned to feel offended but he was content to have made the deal.

He placed the urn in the King's hands and a crimson smoke swirled around father and mother, taking away the years they had accorded and most of the wizard's wrinkles faded away. That was how he made his lifespan stretch.

"When the time comes, I will collect that urn you now hold." He told them and vanished from their sight.

* * *

(Present)

"Your dark wizard sounds an awful lot like to my mentor." Regina told her and started considering the possibility. All of what Elsa shared had Rumplestiltskin's signature in it. Maybe this dethroned queen had been another of his prospects to cast the curse for him, but it didn't make much sense as she still looked to be around her middle twenties and Regina had cast the curse a good three decades ago.  _How long could she have been trapped inside that urn? Did he train her at all?_

"That was some time ago but I'm sure I would recognize his face if we crossed paths." The blonde said with a mature lower voice and her iris flickered silver momentarily. "How was your breakfast?" Regina asked to change the subject because she could sense the magic swirling around her. "Worthy of a Queen, thank you." Elsa grinned contently and dabbed the corners of her mouth with a napkin.

Regina got up from her seat and leaned over Elsa to pick up her empty plate. The blonde questioned why she didn't have any servants in her palace and the brunette smiled lightly. "Because I am selective of whom I bring home and I prefer to work my own magic in the kitchen." Regina winked an eye and it gave the blonde all the wrong messages.

Elsa's eyes inevitably noticed the hint of cleavage from the mature woman's slightly unbuttoned blouse and her face flushed getting all sort of indecent pictures in her mind. She licked her suddenly dry lips and looked back into chocolaty eyes.

"I never heard of household magic. I am curious to see  _all_  your tricks in action." She asked her not so innocently and held her stare waiting to see her reaction.

 _Could Regina be into women like she was?_  It was worth a shot. She had gotten that vibe the moment Emma made her appearance earlier and noticed their strangely  _domestic_ interaction. It wasn't a two enemies encounter, it had looked more like separated partners.

It struck her that moment. What if Regina felt something for this insensible wench that had ruined her chance at a happy ending? _No…_  She said in her inside. _I won't allow her to hurt her any further._  She made an internal vow. She felt protective of this enthralling woman who showed more understanding than her own family had ever done.

Regina was unsure of the implications in Elsa's request.  _Was she getting the wrong message from the younger woman next to her?_  It must certainly be so. There was no logic in reading in between lines that must not even be there. However, the idea wasn't completely disgusting. Quite the contrary, actually, and Regina's eyes studied the delicate features of the regal lady of Arendelle. "Of course. Follow me." The brunette smirked.

She strutted toward the kitchen and put the dishes inside a strange box built into the bottom cabinets and when she pressed a button, the sound of water started coming from the machine. "Now we can walk away and when we come back, they will be sparkling white." Regina smiled.

"Did you enchant that box?" Elsa looked with wonder. "Not really, dear. It is called a dishwasher and it is a commodity from this world." Regina told her and started walking toward the door. "Your world is fantastic!" Elsa exclaimed and felt excited to go outside and absorb everything it had to offer.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update to make you happy, or mad... whatever SHIP floats you. lol

Regina parked her car outside the station and opened the door to let Elsa enter the building before her. Mayor and guest moved with grace down the hallway and ignored the deputy coming their way from the desk facing the small jail.

David was inside the Sheriff's office and just noticed when Emma huffed and went to sit down again in her new  _old_  desk. "Was that?" The Sheriff asked his daughter from the office after hearing the sound of heels down the corridor. "Regina." Emma completed for him and a heavy sigh followed.

After Regina turned the lights on in her office, Elsa entered the large room behind her. "Do you rule your kingdom from here?" She asked the brunette after spotting a desk in the far back. "Yes." Regina answered and chuckled gracefully. "Is that your throne?" The blonde continued. "Correct. This is the Mayor's office, as we call it around here." Regina told her and pressed a button to make the hearth glow with new fire, as the temperature in Storybrooke had mysteriously dropped and entering her office felt like you had gone inside the fridge instead.

Elsa's eyes then went to her fireplace and noticed the white horse sitting in a niche above. She figured it was an ornament that served as a memory of Regina's stable boy and curious eyes continued inspecting the surrounding. She took her time to appreciate the wallpaper with slender tall trees and decided to comment on it. "Reminiscent of the Enchanted Forest, I see." She said and Regina smiled proudly.

"Yes, I see you have a good eye for detail." The Mayor was pleased to confirm Elsa was no common girl and she had paid close attention when Regina shared her story with her. No one else had ever noticed how much of Regina's life was reflected in that seemingly cold detached office and Elsa continued growing in her sympathy.

In the other side of the building, Emma continued tapping on her desk with a pen anxiously. David had looked at her from time to time but decided to ignore it for a while. The noise didn't really annoy him; it was her anxiety what made him troubled and he finally commented on it after some minutes. "Why don't you try again?" His father said as he walked out of the tiny office and leaned against the doorframe.

"She hates me, dad. She might throw a fireball and burn me." Emma told him remembering how she saw her do it when her mother was tied to a stake in her little trip to the past. "Or her new friend could send a blizzard my way." Emma muttered.

"New friend?" Her father asked with curiosity. "Yeah… see… I might have brought an Ice Queen from the past without knowing." The blonde bit her lip nervously. "And you were planning to tell me when the whole town froze over?" David immediately started moving in direction of the Mayor's office to confront Regina about her new ally.

"Wait. Don't! You're going to piss her off even more." Emma shot up from her desk and pulled on his arm to stop him. "I will fix this mess I started." She grumbled and gathered the courage to knock on the Mayor's door once… twice… and a third time with no answer. "Screw it." Emma muttered and slowly pushed the door open to enter the room carefully.

"I love that mirror on the wall." Elsa commented and moved closer to have a look. "It is so elegant and beautiful." The lady pointed at the metal frame and Regina came very close behind her. "Not as much as the image it reflects." She told her behind the ear and made Elsa's skin get covered in goose bumps. Regina gently placed a hand over the younger woman's shoulder and Emma was baffled by what she had just heard and was now seeing.

 _What the hell is going on?_  Emma asked in her inside.  _Did I change anything else in the past that I'm not aware of?_  She questioned herself and for _some_  reason, the proximity between the mayor and her new friend made her stomach twist with fury and the deputy had to clear her throat loudly to make her presence noticed. "Ahem."

Regina turned around quickly and her gaze sat in green burning with anger. "Miss Swan. Didn't anyone in the foster system teach you to knock before you enter?" The brunette questioned while walking dangerously stiffly in her direction.

Emma rolled her eyes at the mayor knowing just how much that would irk her but still didn't care. This was no longer about Robin and Marian.  _No…_  This was something entirely different and Emma's eyes pierced into a challenging gaze like hers. She stared at Elsa without answering and could see the same loathe mirrored in icy eyes.

"What do you want, Miss Swan?" Regina huffed and tapped her heel on the cold marble as if she was in a hurry. She crossed her arms before her and clenched her teeth waiting for an answer.

"I just wanted to make amends with you, Regina. I am so-" Emma began telling when the brunette interrupted. "Sorry? I already heard that. Why don't you try something new for a change, Miss Swan? Something called… self-restrain." Regina told her sharply.

"But I-" Emma tried to defend herself. "YOU will leave NOW my office or so help me." The Mayor said firmly and Emma remembered her first days as Sheriff and their constant bickering. "Or what? You'll punish me? I thought we were over that, Madam Mayor." Emma confronted her.

"How dare you speak to Regina that way!" Elsa answered before Regina and stepped in between them; eyes glowing silver as she held her stare in Emma's non-moving; hands glowing brightly.

A sudden crackle started sounding and Emma felt a wave of cold air swirl around her. Ice began to rise from marble flooring and it entrapped the Savior's legs inside it. "What's happening?" Emma looked at her limbs with shock and turned to lock her gaze in dark brown.

Regina was taken by surprise, as she had been dwelling in her own burning anger. She looked at the ice covering Emma's body and became worried for Henry's birthmother. He would never forgive her if she let something bad happen to Emma. He could run away and choose the two idiots and never go back home with her again.

"Please, Elsa, stop." Regina gently placed a hand in her forearm. "Why do you defend her?" Elsa questioned. "Because it is… the right thing to do. Henry would never forgive me." Regina answered against her own pride and Elsa's magic started to subdue.

Elsa strutted very close to Emma and her face came just mere inches from the other woman's. "I will let it go for now, Savior." She said in an almost whisper. "But if you  _ever_ dare talking to her like that again, I will make more than just your blood run cold." The younger blonde muttered from clenched teeth and stepped back slowly.

The ice keeping Emma hostage started to fade away and the deputy could move her extremities again freely, though she was sure some bruises were left by the icy restrains.

Regina was stunned by the way Elsa reacted to Emma's confrontation and even more surprised to see someone protect her with the same passion she had once guarded Henry from exactly the same person and remained silent for a long moment.

Emma steeled her jaw and closed her hands into fists feeling impotent. She wasn't pissed, no… she was way beyond that. She wanted to turn Elsa into a snowball and shoot her through the window until she was out of sight and completely out of their lives.

 _Why is this bitch here anyway? Who let her through the portal? Not me, that's for sure._ She answered herself mentally. She watched when Hook jumped into the wormhole with only Marian on his shoulder; it couldn't have been him either.  _Could it have been Rumplestiltskin?_  She wondered. No one else had been in that vault with them.

"Don't worry,  _Majesties._ " Emma marked her words sarcastically. "I won't be bothering you any longer." She turned on her heel. "I know the way out." She muttered and slammed the door behind her, making glass shatter that had otherwise survived two curses.

"How did… that… go?" David asked worriedly while watching Emma grab her car keys from the desk and the broken glass from Regina's door. "How do you think?" Emma blurted and left the station.

* * *

At the Pawnbroker's

The door in the entrance chimed and Belle went to greet the customer that had arrived to the shop. "Emma?" The bookkeeper was taken by surprise. She knew Emma, or any of the Charmings, only came here whenever there was trouble. "Is there anything I can help you with?" She asked her worriedly.

"Hi. Is Mr. Gold here?" The blonde asked her while letting her eyes travel the shop looking at all the relics. "Yes, let me call him." Belle answered and went to the back of the shop.

"Anything I can do for you, dearie?" Rumplestiltskin asked as he came out of the office.

"Yes." The woman said while she was holding an old lamp that looked very resembled to the one from Aladdin's tale. "I have a few questions to ask you." She answered. "I can offer you a good deal on that precious relic if you like it,  _Emma_." The mature man grinned with amusement.

"I'm not here for décor." Emma left the lamp where it had been sitting previously. "Well, I merely suggested since I heard you have already found a love nest for you and the pirate." He grimaced. He still held a grudge of sorts toward Hook and the loss of Neal was still painful, and seeing Emma get over his son so quickly made him slightly bothered.

"Of course you did." Emma rolled her eyes and walked closer to the cashier where the old man stood calmly. "There is no love nest. It will be a home for me and Henry." She told him dryly after picking on his negative. "And it should be me the one getting answers." She muttered. "What can you tell me about the Queen of Arendelle?" Emma looked intently into hazel eyes.

"Has it come to that, dearie? Using your superpower on your son's grandfather?" He smirked enjoying her unsettled expression. "Are you going to tell me or do I need to punch you in the face to get some answers?" Emma blurted and Rumplestiltskin sneered contently.

"The Queen of Arendelle… Lovely lady. She is a woman who knows how to please a King." He chuckled. "To the point, Gold." Emma tapped her fingers over the crystal surface of his display.

"She was a brave woman with only one little weakness… her specious need to have a man by her side." He looked at Emma and winked his eye. "And?" Emma glared feeling very annoyed by the indirect. "You see… Her heart was her weakness. It went missing a day before announcing her engagement with a, what would you call it?  _Devilishly handsome_  prince named Hans." He baited but Emma didn't fall for his game.

"Wait. That would be Anna. I am asking you about Elsa." Emma's brow furrowed and he narrowed his eyes on her. "How do you know about Elsa?" He leaned forward and his hand stopped Emma's fingers from tapping over his display. "Doesn't matter how. I just do. Tell me all you know about her." Emma muttered.

"Sorry, dearie, but if you're not planning to buy something, I am going to have to ask you to leave. Please." The old man said with bitterness. "Now that I think about it, I could use an oil lamp in my love nest." Emma returned with sass and brought the lamp she had been staring at before. "Now, tell me. What is Elsa's weakness?" Jade eyes pierced in hazel.

"Well, you are one smart woman, Emma. Figure it out." The angry man answered and pushed a small box with the oil lamp inside toward her. "This is on the house." He said from clenched teeth. "Now, leave."

Emma took the box from the counter and made it to the same door from where she'd entered. She turned around for a moment to look at Gold with suspicion. "What did you do to her?" She asked dryly. "Nothing that concerns you, Savior." Rumplestiltskin muttered.

* * *

At Granny's

Emma was still upset after her unsuccessful meeting with the Mayor that morning... and afternoon, but she was even more troubled after her un-charming reunion with Mr. Gold. She was leaning by the counter when Ruby came to ask her if she wanted to order anything else.

"Hey. I know Granny only has them in the morning, but could you please snatch me a bear claw? I really need something sweet right now." Emma begged her.

Ruby noticed her strained expression and leaned down to secretly ask her friend about it, as the place was somewhat packed because of the hour. It was dinnertime and almost no one in Storybrooke liked being home at that hour and Granny's was the only diner in the small town to gather. It was either that or the rabbit hole.

"Emma, you look like shit, no offense." The brunette blurted. "What happened? Hook not meeting your expectations?" She asked her and waved a hand at Henry sitting in one of the booths across from Hook. She had to force a smile at the pirate when he glanced at her but her glare gave it away she wasn't supportive of that relationship.

"Woah! Thanks for the honesty,  _friend."_  Emma replied feeling offended and sighed deeply. "It isn't Hook, it's Regina." Emma's gaze turned to rest on a glass jar full of colorful jellybeans.

The little bell that announced whenever the door to the old diner opened chimed and Emma turned to look at the newcomers to avoid Ruby's excruciating stare demanding answers. Bad idea, that was. Her face immediately contorted when her own eyes were fixed in the annoyingly beautiful blonde entering before Regina. Her jaw steeled and her body tensed, and the werewolf easily noticed Emma's change in demeanor and quickly directed her gaze to where Emma was looking rather intently.

"Who's that hot chick with Regina?" Ruby asked her quietly as her eyes indulged in the tight blue dress hugging the woman's frame. "Dressed to kill." She mumbled and was tempted to whistle.

It was a dress Emma remembered seeing the Mayor wear before, quite the vision in her body, but seeing it in Elsa's made her rather angry. "That's what happened." She mumbled and Ruby lifted an eyebrow trying to figure out  _what exactly_  had happened.

"I will see if I can find you a bear claw." Ruby winked at Emma and went to clean a table that had just cleared. "Madam Mayor, I have an open spot here." The werewolf signaled the stunning pair of women and they sauntered her way to take seat.

Emma moved back to her own booth across the diner and took seat next to Hook. She could see Regina and Elsa clearly from her sitting position and continued staring, sipping from time to time from her hot coco while waiting for the bear claw.

"Here. I had to tell her you would pay double, sorry." Ruby gave her the promised treat. "That's fine. Thank you, Ruby." Emma smiled warmly and her eyes returned to where they had been staring.

Regina, in contrast, was trying to keep her gaze from going in Emma's direction. It was already sickening to see her hideous gold locks daily in the station but the sight of Hook with Henry on top of it made it insufferable. She didn't even approach to greet her son because that meant having to cross words with the two people at the top of her list of morons.

"Is she still looking this way?" The brunette asked her companion. "Yes. Does it bother you?" Elsa asked with interest. "Yes… NO." Regina tried to go back in her words because she remembered Elsa's magic was quite unpredictable. A little too late it was, though.

Elsa's index fingertip glowed white and when Emma tried to pull out the piece of bread from her hot coco, she couldn't. "What the hell?" The woman looked again and noticed her beverage had frozen with the bear claw halfway inside. "Really?" Emma grumbled and ripped the top half to bite on and looked at Elsa with anger.

"Ma?" Henry called and then turned around to let his eyes follow to where Emma was glaring with fury. "Mom!" The teenager exclaimed and got up from his seat to run her way.

"Henry!" Regina exclaimed cheerfully and her expression turned softer. "I've missed you!" She said to him and the young man went for her embrace. "I've missed you two, mom." He said after her. "Where have you been? I hadn't seen you since the announcement of my uncle's name." They boy asked with curiosity, eyes studying the other woman at Regina's table.

"That would be my fault." Elsa said after him. "I'm sorry I kept your mother from you. I just… needed her to help me with… magic." She tried to come up with something else but she didn't know how to lie very well and telling him she came from the past would only make it stranger.

"You're teaching her magic?" Henry turned to look at his mother with bewilderment. "Yes. Light magic, to be clear." Regina pointed out nervously.

"I'm Henry, by the way." The teenager extended a hand to her and smiled warmly but Elsa felt troubled.  _What if she unwillingly made his hand freeze and Regina hated her for harming her son?_ She turned to look at Regina for an answer and the brunette nodded her head lightly to assure her it would be okay. Elsa felt secure of herself and took the young man's hand to shake it with grace.

"Aren't you a prince charming." She commented and Regina twitched her lip at the comment. "Bloody hell, I messed up!" Elsa reprimanded herself. She had forgotten Regina hated that label because it was a direct link to the one family set to destroy her happy endings, but Henry chuckled at the innocent comment and felt sorry for the blonde after seeing how worried she became when she noticed Regina's disgusted expression. "Yeah, I got that from gramps." He told her and Regina rolled her eyes inevitably, but they were soft and she chuckled lightly.

"So who are you?" Henry asked her now and took the seat beside her. "I am Elsa, Quee-"… She was saying when Regina completed for her. "An acquaintance from the Enchanted Forest, whom just came to visit me… because she was careful not to get caught in the crossfire of Zelena's vengeance." The brunette quickly formulated. "Oh... It is nice to meet you, Elsa." Henry smiled widely.

All the while, Emma kept a constant stare at the trio. Hook had tried establishing a conversation but Emma just gave him short answers. She was only interested in the peculiar picture the three of them made. They almost looked like a family and Emma saw herself reflected in the platinum blonde sitting next to Henry and smiling warmly with Regina at something her son must have said.

"That should be me..." Emma mumbled and Hook narrowed his eyes on her. "What should be, Swan?" The pirate asked confusedly. "Nothing. I was… thinking loudly." Emma had to tear her gaze from the people at the other side of the diner.

"What do you say if we go have a look at your new place?" Hook leaned to her side slowly. "There is a bed…room waiting to be explored." He continued and his hand squeezed on Emma's thigh. "You could let the boy stay at Regina's for the night." He suggested and went for a kiss, but Emma evaded him and brought Henry's mug of hot coco to her lips instead.

"Since mine has gone… cold, I will take Henry's." She said and smiled for the pirate nervously. "I get it, Swan." He told her a bit annoyed. He turned to look at the people Emma had been studying all that long and wasn't surprised to meet Regina's stern glare. He lifted his Hook in salutation and feigned a grin for the Mayor. "Hello, Majesty." He greeted and Regina turned her eyes away feeling really exasperated.

"About time the Queen showed her true interests." He blurted and caught Emma's attention for the first time in their dinner. "What do you mean?" She focused her eyes on him this time. "Well, her pompous gowns may have come off with men… but her fancy pants came off with women twice as often." He told her secretly and paid extra attention to her facial expression; he was the one studying her now. "In the Enchanted Forest, rumor had it she only used men as a façade." He finished.

Emma's mouth went agape and her eyes opened wider, and immediately looked across the diner but the person she sought with her gaze was no longer sitting in her place. The deputy was puzzled and tried to look around for a certain brunette.

"I need to use the restroom, be right back." The blonde suddenly told him and left.

She went to the hallway that leads to the restrooms and started walking nervously in hesitation of entering. She leaned against the wall beside the door to think twice before messing up further but when she turned around to go back to her booth with Hook, her body bumped into Regina's.

"Watch your step, moron." Regina blurted. "I'm so-" Emma was saying but Regina interrupted her with a tired voice. "Not the S word again." The brunette sighed. "Let me through, Miss Swan." She tried to move past Emma but the hallway was so narrow she couldn't just walk away without brushing her body uncomfortably against Emma's and hurried her to get out of her way.

"No." Emma answered and grabbed hold of Regina's wrist and dragged her into a private living room they had once been before, when they were trying to decipher whose heart had Zelena used to enact the curse. She closed the door and turned the lock so no one could come in and disturb them. Someone named Elsa, to be precise.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Regina yelled and pulled her hand to free it from Emma's grip. "Arranging a meeting with the Mayor. What else?" The blonde said firmly as she closed the distance between them, invading Regina's space. "Really dear?" Regina twitched her lip. "Ah, ah. I'm talking." Emma interrupted her now and placed her index finger on Regina's lips to stop them from doing that irritating twitching, what made Regina raise an eyebrow at her.

"Sooner or later you'll have to stop evading me, Regina. I am Henry's birthmother and will continue to be in your life, whether you like it or not. So let's both agree that we are stuck with each other and there's nothing either of us can do to change that fate." She told her and silence settled for a moment.

"May I speak now, or will you continue dreading me with your un-touching speech, Miss Swan?" Regina asked mockingly. "Don't _Miss Swan_  me again,  _Majesty_." Emma moved even closer; face just meere inches from the other woman's.

"Can't you see I just want to make things right and have a peaceful relationship with you?" Her voice was softer this time, just like her eyes were. "I'm afraid that will be impossible,  _Emma_ , as you have chosen the worst fatherly figure for our son to look up to." Regina said with discomfort and took a step back. "What?" Emma shook her head. "What does Hook even have to do in this? This is about us." Emma was baffled.

"Right. For starters, there is no such thing as a  _you and me_ , Miss Swan." Regina folded her arms over her chest. "Secondly, that pirate is prone to violence, alcoholism, has no job and only the  _dead sea_  knows what else he might be into. I wonder how our thirteen year-old will wind up with that kind of image." She twitched her lip again on purpose.

"Seriously, what is so exciting about the handless wonder?" The brunette added after a moment. "Really now? Who said I was going to spend the rest of my days with Hook? No one. He's just… I don't know. What do you care, anyway?" Emma grumbled. "And don't bring Henry as your excuse." She finished.

Regina looked away from Emma's gaze and clenched her teeth. She started traveling the room with her eyes looking for the perfect answer that would make Emma Swan finally shut up and let her go on with her life and allow her to hate on her freely.

"Is this still because of Robin and Marian?" Emma stepped forward to reclaim the distance that Regina had taken away. "Robin who?" Regina tried to recall. "I don't care about the smelly archer any longer. Men are easy to come by and highly disposable." She answered.

"So this is about me?" Emma looked intently into dark eyes, seeking the answer Regina's mouth was denying. "I'm sorry to burst your bubble, Emma, but the world does not revolve around you." Regina half-heartedly chuckled.

"I'm not interested in the whole world, Regina. I'm only interested in yours because it kinda seems so." Emma held her stare and Regina broke eye contact. "You're insane. What on earth gave you the id-" Regina was speaking when rosy lips crashed against hers and a pair of soft warm hands held her face gently in place. Emma had had enough of their old bicker and needed to know if it had been  _something more_  all along.


	4. Chapter 4

Hook was growing impatient in his seat because it was taking Emma rather long to come back. He knew women always took a little extra time in the restroom but this was becoming too long of a wait and he started wondering what she could be up to. Emma had been flustered all day and had treated him with almost the same distance as she had been drawing before their bonding trip to the past. "Reverting, Swan, are you?" He mumbled and took the canteen from inside his coat to have a drink.

He wasn't sure if he would be able to continue playing hard-to-get with the savior and his gaze went to look at the table where Henry sat with Elsa. "Where has the Queen gone to?" He wondered and it didn't take too much brain to put one and one together. "I see." He muttered and got up from his seat slowly not to draw attention.

* * *

"You are insane. What on earth gave you the id-" Regina was speaking when Emma's lips crashed against hers and a pair of soft warm hands held her face gently in place.

Regina's eyes opened wider and her arms unfolded from her chest to bring her hands slowly to Emma's shoulders. She felt her heart race inside her, but she couldn't decipher if it was in anger or something else. Purple light began swirling in her fingertips and it sent a wave of electricity down Emma's spine.

"Ahhh!" Emma groaned in pain as her body became paralyzed so Regina could break the kiss. Emma tried to move but she couldn't feel her body from below her neck. "Oh my god! You magically tasered me, Regina." Green eyes stared in disbelief.

"What the fuck was that?" Regina cussed for the first time in years. Her fingers went to touch her own lips and her eyes focused in the green gaze watching her with doubt and guilt. "Apparently, not a True Love kiss." Emma answered with disappointment and tried to summon her magic to fight Regina's spell keeping her still.

"You humor me." Regina glared and waved a hand to open the door to get out of the small room. She was walking rapidly down the hallway when Hook almost bumped against her and noticed her fearsome vibe.

"It was worth it!" Emma yelled behind and the pirate heard her. He went into the small living room and peeked his head to look for his twenty-two hours official girlfriend.

"There you are, Swan." He said and made it to her side. "What was worth it?" He asked her and noticed the red lipstick smeared over her lips.  _Was she wearing any lipstick at all when they first came?_  Whatever. He didn't usually pay attention to  _that_  part of her body.

"Nothing." She answered and finally defeated Regina's spell cast upon her. "I'm tired, let me get Henry and go home." She started moving toward the door.

They went back into the diner and Emma wasn't surprised when she didn't see Regina nor Elsa any longer, but neither was Henry.  _Shit. This is going to have repercussions._  She thought and remembered Regina telling her she never thought about the consequences of her actions.

"Looks like she took the boy home." The pirate raised an eyebrow playfully and scratched his chin with his hook. "We have the night for our own." He grinned seductively. "Ugh… I have the worst headache ever." Emma rubbed her temples with her fingers. "I'm heading over to Mary Margaret's, sorry." The woman offered an apologetic smile.

"What? No… Why now?" The pirate complained. "I still have to pack my stuff to move into the new apartment." She made an excuse to avoid his naughty intentions, plus she really felt a headache building up after that magical shock.

"What stuff? You didn't even bring that much from New York." He remembered. "I still had my old things there from before Pan's curse." She quickly answered and went to the booth they had occupied earlier, she left some money over the table to pay for their food and exited the diner with Hook behind her.

"Where am I going to stay? I don't have my ship, remember?" He asked her and she turned around slowly. "Yah... I guess in the same place you have been doing up until now?" The blonde answered with confusion. "But it's cramped in Smee's boat and smells of rotten fish." The pirate whined.

"Sorry, I guess." Emma answered. She knew he had traded his ship for the magic bean that brought him back to Storybrooke but, really, it wasn't her fault he couldn't find another place. Say; Granny's rentals? "Goodnight, Hook." The blonde waved a hand and got inside her bug.

Regina was still upset about the unexpected kiss Emma had stolen. She kept thinking about it and how it made her feel…  _confused?_  She had been flustered during the first minutes of the ride home but seeing Henry in the back through her mirror made her relax and happy to have him in the house for the night, perhaps even the week…  _or permanently_. Yes, that was a good idea and it made her smile again.

"It's good to be back, mom!" Henry exclaimed and hugged her. He then ran upstairs to jump in his old bed and kicked off his shoes. He looked outside the window and remembered the day he had tried to escape from the mansion, after Emma had fallen through the portal with Mary Margaret.

"What I wouldn't give to stop myself in the past and avoid all the mess I brought along with ma." He mumbled. He remembered how much he regretted it the day Regina had to say good-bye to him and he felt guilty of pursuing the woman who had given him up.

He became conflicted, because Emma truly loved him now and living for a full year with her had bonded them like he had always wanted it to be, but ever since Hook appeared in New York, he started feeling like he was being put in second place.

He did like the pirate as a buddy to hang out but seeing him as his birthmother's new choice of partner was kind of upsetting and he wasn't used to the idea yet. And what made it worse had been learning about Emma ruining Regina's chance with Robin Hood. He had always loved the stories of the outlaw archer who stole from the rich to help the poor and he had the heroic idea etched in his head that Robin was that cool man from his books.

He even considered the idea of setting his mom and Robin up for an unexpected date, but decided not to meddle in their business because there was a small child caught in between the mess. Certainly he needn't an extra father, as he already had twice as many parents, but Roland only had one father and one mother he recognized and needed. "I guess everything happens for a reason." He mumbled and went to grab one of his old comics from his desk.

"Honey, would you like anything before you go to sleep?" Regina peeked from his door to ask. "No, thanks mom. I'm good." He answered and continued reading the comic. "Not even a kiss?" Regina asked with a little sadness in her voice. Her boy had grown so much and so quickly and she missed his innocent cuddling from when he was much smaller.

"Now that you mention it, I would take two." He got up from his seat and went to embrace and kiss her. "My little prince." His mother said with eyes clouding. Henry smiled and hugged her tightly and then she parted from his embrace before her tears would start pouring. She closed the door gently behind her and Henry went back to reading.

Elsa had been waiting for Regina in the studio, looking at a picture of Henry when he was a toddler and didn't notice the moment Regina entered the room and saw her smiling at the image. Regina came slowly behind her and said in an almost whisper in her ear: "He was four in that picture." and Elsa jumped from the impression. She didn't hear her come in and was taken by surprise.

"Regina! You scared me." The blonde gasped. "I'm sorry." Regina apologized and inhaled deeply, and then looked into the bluish gaze staring with curiosity. "How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you ever tasted?" The brunette offered.

"Hmm… That is quite a proposition, considering I've had only the best." Elsa playfully sneered. "Which is why I'm offering you mine." Regina looked intensely into her eyes and Elsa nearly gulped. "Very well, I'll be the judge." The blonde grinned and watched Regina move with grace toward the wet bar to pour their drinks.

Regina offered the glass and Elsa received it with a smile, she looked into the amber liquid and then inhaled the bold scent of apples. "It is promising thus far." She commented and looked into confident brown eyes. "Wait until you try it." The brunette assured her and took a confident sip from her own glass.

Elsa brought the glass to her lips slowly and then took a sip from her drink. She let the flavor sit in her tongue before she swallowed and closed her eyes at the same time as a pleasant moan resounded in her throat. "Mmm…" She uttered and her eyes slowly opened at the same time her tongue licked around her lips savoring. "Marvelous."

"Told you it would be best you ever had." Regina took another sip and smirked with pride. "I could think of something far more sweet that would easily make it to the top of my list." Elsa moved closer and her eyes went to inspect Regina's lips still moistened with cider.

"Really?" Regina glanced Elsa's lips and felt the temperature in the room rise, she looked back to almond shaped eyes with desire and wondered. "Well…" Elsa gently rolled her thumb over a corner of Regina's lip to pick up a small drop of amber liquid and brought it to her own mouth to lightly lick her fingertip.

"You were right. Your apple cider is in the best I could ever have." The regal lady told her and Regina was stupefied for a moment. She was the mistress of seduction when it came to using her lady charms with men to have her way without magic, but she had never been in the receiving end of another Queen's teasing and there was no doubt now that Elsa had yet another thing in common with her.

It was clear now that this peculiar Queen of Arendelle wasn't as naïve as it had appeared in the beginning, and she wasn't really interested in sympathizing with men.  _Much more convenient._  There would be no handless wonders or past lovers to interfere.  _Wait, where did that just come from?_  Regina cleared her throat and moved her eyes apart from Elsa's.

She focused in the hearth and went to sit down in her sofa. "How was it like to be Queen of Arendelle? Did you rule for long or did they banish you too early? The brunette decided to pick up on the story to deviate her attention from the confusing feelings she was experiencing.

She remembered Emma's kiss but then imagined how it would feel to try Elsa's lips. Maybe her cider was taking effect too quickly and she tried to ignore the heat growing inside her. Somehow, Elsa managed to make her nervous as her innocent behavior seemed to melt away with their interaction.

"I became Queen after my parents had a fatal accident in one of their trips." Elsa started telling her. She went to sit next to Regina in the same couch and then her gaze got lost in the fire on the hearth. "I was younger when that happened. I was left with the responsibility of my little sister, a whole realm insecure about my ability to rule and a burden I could never get rid of: my magic.

"It wasn't easy to prevent my powers from manifesting but I managed to conceal them for a couple of years. That was until…" Elsa's eyes flickered silver momentarily as her memories brought an unpleasant image. "Until what?" Regina asked feeling really drawn into her narration.

"Until we had ball in honor of my sister's birthday. That was when my world fell apart. In her first dance, she met a prince named Hans that promised her the world and more. She let herself be blinded by his words and the next day, she was telling me they were engaged." Elsa's hand started glowing and her glass of cider froze and shattered in her grasp.

"Elsa, you're bleeding!" Regina looked at her hand and took it in hers gently. She carefully pulled out a crystal shard from her palm and touched it lightly with her fingertips, making the wound disappear with magic. "Thank you." Elsa blushed lightly. "I wish my magic could do what yours does." The blonde told her and Regina smiled warmly.

"I could teach you." Regina offered. "Would you do that for me?" Elsa asked with surprise, eyes open wide in joy. "Of course, dear. Besides, you already told Henry I was doing so. But that will have to wait until tomorrow because it is very late now." Regina got up and offered the blonde her hand to stand. Elsa took her hand smiling and followed after Regina. "Yes. And I will continue telling you my story then."

* * *

It was a weekday and that could only mean one thing for Henry. His mother knocked on his door to wake him and the young man had to battle his own eyelids to open. "Honey, you'll be late for school." Regina said behind his door. "I'm… almost… awake. I'll be quick in the shower, mom." He rubbed his eyes and kicked off the bed covers. He went into his bathroom and started getting ready for the day, like he had done over a year ago in that same place.

Regina dropped him off in school and went back home to check on Elsa, whom she didn't want to disturb after the late hour she had kept her up talking about her life in Arendelle. But when the brunette entered her own home, the scent of chocolate invaded her nostrils and brought her to the kitchen.

"What are you preparing?" Regina asked with curiosity and went to peek at the little pot warming some milk. "Hot coco." Elsa answered normally but then realized she had never asked permission to make use of the kitchen and she had made a little bit of a mess in the pantry while she looked for anything that might result familiar to her. "Oh my god! I apologize for taking the liberty to make use of your kitchen." The woman apologized and Regina chuckled.

"That's quite alright, dear, feel free to use it." Regina smiled. "But, hot coco for breakfast?" Regina raised an eyebrow. "Well… yes… I found that little container of dark chocolate and I'm embarrassed to admit I couldn't resist it." Elsa flashed an apologetic smile and her face flushed in embarrassment.

"I would normally have milk alone and fruit with honey but I haven't had chocolate in the longest time and I just..." Elsa looked down to avoid meeting brown eyes. "Love it." Regina completed for her. "Yes." Elsa's brow furrowed in guilt.

"As long as you don't sprinkle cinnamon on top, I have no problem with your choice." Regina mumbled. "Cinnamon? No, I would rather infuse it with peppermint." Elsa smiled. "You are into bold flavors, I like that." Regina grinned and looked for something in her cabinets. "Which I happen to have." The brunette gave her a tiny bottle with peppermint essence. "Just a couple of drops and it'll give it some kick." She winked and Elsa smirked.

"Coco for the Mayor?" Elsa pushed one mug across the kitchen island. "Thank you." Regina took it and gave it a try. "Not bad for a  _Queen_." Regina chuckled and Elsa glared. "I'm not completely useless, you know?" The blonde complained and then served her own mug to enjoy. "Of that I'm sure, but please let me take from here." Regina replied.

They had breakfast after Regina took over the kitchen to prep something healthy to combat the unnecessary amount of sugar and then got ready to head out. "I'd prefer to walk." Elsa commented and Regina nodded. "Then let's do that."

The streets of Storybrooke were usually barren and Regina had always enjoyed walking around town to admire her creation, but walking with someone beside her felt completely different. She liked being able to chat while you were headed to your destination and she remembered her walk with Robin and Roland. It had felt close to her  _ideal_ of a family, but not completely real. She loved the little kid but was a little confused about the archer and why she had gone after him in the first place.  _Pixie-dust and lack of options. S_ he mumbled but Elsa didn't hear.

They came to face the same park where they had met and Elsa went to stand by the lake. "It still is frozen." She said with a saddened tone and Regina looked at her with curiosity. "Why does that bother you? I thought you liked the cold." The brunette asked. "Because my presence is doing it and it won't be long before your lovely town is buried under snow." Elsa sighed deeply and went to sit in the bench facing the lake.

"I don't see any snow yet, Elsa, and I doubt that will be the case. The weather is just very cold in this area, don't blame yourself." Regina smiled warmly and took seat next to her.

Emma had been patrolling the streets, as the temperature continued dropping and there had been reports of water leaks outside some businesses and she had to keep en eye out in case someone was in need for help. She was doing her round down Main Street when her eyes distinguished the peculiar pair of heads behind a bench. "Why isn't Regina in the office?" Emma asked herself and parked her unit to spy on the mayor.

"I just can't control it, Regina. Everywhere I go, I bring an endless winter with me." Elsa told her. "I don't want this power, I always hurt the ones I love most." The blonde said with sadness and tears gathered in her eyes. "Magic is emotion, Elsa. You first need to know your heart in order to control your power." Regina said gently.

"I know my heart. It is cold as ice and anyone I care about will eventually turn cold." Elsa cried remembering someone she loved but lost. "It isn't. I can prove it." Regina put her hand on her hand gently. "Your heart is just as warm as I see you are too." She told her and smiled kindly.

Elsa felt her heart race inside her and started feeling worried her magic could betray her and harm the other woman. She pushed Regina's hand away and tried to stand up, but Regina gripped on it and pulled her to her side again. She felt connected with her story and, undeniably, quite attracted the beautiful Queen of Arendelle. And it was obvious Elsa found her quite alluring just as well, which made Regina feel confidence again after all of what she had suffered lately.

Regina had endured too much pain and solitude in the last year, and last days had made her realize how much she'd been denying herself the opportunity to feel again. She tried with Robin but that didn't turn out the way expected, thanks to Emma.

Miss Swan was still in her black list after bringing the  _deceased_  wife back from the grave, but resentment wasn't the only thing Emma Swan evoked in Regina. With that stolen kiss, she brought confusion that awakened an old time craving in the mayor: her likes for women. She had been feeling unexplainable things toward the Sheriff for a long time but she didn't want to accept them in the beginning, given their rivalry in motherhood. And later because Emma started frequenting the obnoxious pirate and now they were an item. _I hate them both._ Said Regina in her inside.

"I know you care about me and I will prove to you that you won't hurt me." The brunette told her and leaned forward slowly. She moved some hair from Elsa's face and looked into her eyes with softness. Elsa was confused at what could be going on inside the brunette's head and became nervous when Regina took the last step forward and gently pressed her lips on hers, kissing her very slowly while letting go of her hand.

Elsa felt Regina's warmth invade her and gave into a kiss that felt like summer melting in her mouth. Her hands went to cup Regina's face shyly and the brunette placed her own on Elsa's arms gently. Small sparkling snowflakes started coming from the sky and slowly landed over the couple kissing, but they didn't notice until they heard the excited voice of a child telling his parents it was snowing, and Elsa's fears made themselves present that moment.

"Regina!" Elsa exclaimed as she broke the kiss and inspected the other woman for any signs of freezing. "What's wrong, Elsa?" The brunette asked with worry and then felt something strange inside her chest. A strand of hair from her head began changing color and Elsa started weeping. "I told you!" She cried out and started running in direction of the lake.

"Elsa, wait!" Regina tried to follow but she had to stop before going on the frozen surface. "No! I can't. You have to be safe!" The other woman yelled as she disappeared inside a cloud of snow.

Regina stepped over the ice and ignored the crackling sound it emitted. "Elsa, come back here!" She carefully started walking but her heels were breaking the surface. "I will find you." She raised her voice again and was suddenly swallowed by the lake.

"Regina!" Emma shouted behind her and ran to her side.  _What do I do… what do I do… Ah!_  Emma focused her magic to break the ice that had already formed where Regina had fallen. She caught Regina's hand and quickly pulled her from cold water and brought her to the grass. "Regina, Regina." The woman called her with despair. "Emma?" Regina opened her eyes and started coughing some water.

"What were you thinking!" Emma scolded. "I just wanted to stop her…" Regina answered. "Stop her from what? From sparing your life?" The blonde scowled. "From leaving me alone again." Regina muttered and let Emma help her stand up.

The once again Savior noticed red lips had turned purple and Regina's body started shivering aggressively. "You're freezing, we need to get you to the hospital." Emma told her. "No. Just… Take me home." Regina told her and let Emma carry half of her weight as she limped her way to the police unit.

They arrived in the mansion and Regina tried to shoo Emma away, but the blonde wouldn't let her out of sight after what had just happened. She was worried Regina could get hypothermia or worse. What if she escaped into the woods to find Elsa and kissed her life away? _No, no, no._  Emma didn't want that image in her head again.

"I'm not a delinquent under your custody, Deputy. Please leave my home." Regina ordered. "No. I need to make sure you're safe and well. Your lips are still purple and you have a weird white strand of hair in your head." Emma pointed with a finger. "What?" Regina went to have a look in the mirror. "But… How did I get this?" She mumbled. "That happened when you kissed her." Emma looked to the floor and bit her lip angrily.

"Were you… spying on us?" Regina asked in disbelief. "Are you stalking me, Ms. Swan?" She asked with suspicion. "What? NO. I was in patrol and I happened to casually see you…" Emma avoided brown gaze.

"Thank you. For helping me." Regina said with difficulty. "But now I need to take a shower." She pointed to the door. "Okay." Emma went to sit in a corner of Regina's bed. "Really, dear? Can't you at least wait outside?" Regina muttered. "You might try to sneak out." Emma grinned. "And what makes you think you could stop me? Regina asked with challenge. "Good point." Emma muttered and left her bedroom feeling totally defeated and embarrassed.  _What was I even thinking?_  She scratched her head.

Regina took her time in a warm bath and felt her body recover most of the lost heat. She wrapped herself in a towel and went into her bedroom to look for a change of clothing to wear. She was looking in her closet for the right ensemble when Emma knocked on her door. "Everything okay there?" She asked after having waited an hour and growing impatient, but Regina rolled her eyes and didn't return an answer in hope Emma would get the message and go away.

She clearly didn't know the way Emma Swan rolled, as the lack of an answer made the blonde burst inside her room and find the Mayor in just a towel. "Damn." It escaped her lips and her eyes indulged in the vision without meaning to stare. "Damn to you too. Who told you you could come in?" Regina questioned and walked closer intimidatingly.

"Ugh, I was just worried because you didn't answer." Emma replied and tried to look away. "Since when do you care about my wellbeing, Ms. Swan? Because I recall that not longer than two days ago were you set to destroy my happy ending." The brunette confronted her.

"Regina, I-" Emma tried to defend but she was immediately cut. "Ah, ah. I'm talking. Just, who do you think you are? What makes you think you can decide for me? Why do you come and confuse me and then change me for a homeless alcoholic, and just when I see light in the end of the tunnel, you come and stop me from following after her. What do you want from me?" Regina had to stop to catch her breath.

"I… What?  _Confused you_? It's you who kept on pushing me away and how was I supposed to know you played in the other team as well? You're the image of perfection and, god, so beautiful and I just... I never thought I would have a chance." She let out a deep sigh. "And Hook, well, he is so adamant and Neal is gone and I thought... maybe a pirate is better than nothing. I just don't do well alone and that's a horrible defect, I know." Emma felt embarrassed and continued evading Regina's piercing stare.

"Not having someone is the worst curse imaginable." Regina mumbled remembering words she had once shared with Emma. It had been under different circumstances but it still echoed in her head. She had been lonely for the longest and had jumped into a relationship without really asking herself if she felt something for Robin.  _Why had she been so upset about Emma bringing back Marian, anyway?_ She really didn't miss Robin and acknowledged the real reason behind her anger.  _Loneliness._

"Emma, this is just too much for me to handle at the moment." Regina sighed deeply and went to sit on her bed. "Please leave me alone." She sighed deeply. "No. I'm not doing the same mistake again, Regina. Please give me a chance to make it right. I want to be worthy of you. I want to give you a reason to smile every morning and I wish to have a home in you and Henry." Emma knelt before her and picked her hands in hers. "Would you let me?"

"Emma… I don't think that's the best idea." Regina answered thinking about how would the Charmings react to that and, more importantly, Henry.  _Would he still accept her if she was into women?_  It was much easier to use men as a distraction and façade than facing her true feelings.  _And what about Elsa?_  They might have just met but there was something about the Queen of Arendelle that made her want to have her in her life as well.

"What if Henry disapproves? Imagine when he learns both of his mothers are queer." She asked her. "I doubt that will be the case. We would be together for him and it would actually make things easier." Emma felt positive. "Would you at least give me a chance to make it up to you? You don't have to take me in yet, just consider the possibility of you and me." She pleaded.

"I… Emma. I'm very confused. I need time to think. I hope you can understand." Regina looked into green eyes with sadness. "Of course. Look, if it is Elsa whom your heart desires now, I will respect that and stop coming after you. But if there is still the smallest spark of hope, I will fight for you." Emma smiled warmly and rose from her position.

"Emma." Regina called her softly before she reached to the door. "That kiss… Did you mean it?" Regina asked with hope. "Yes. It was worth it. You are worth it and I would endure more if needed be, but I would appreciate next time if you don't taser me with your magic." The blonde chuckled. "I won't." Regina told her.


	5. Chapter 5

Elsa found a quiet place deep inside the forest. She was feeling upset with herself after her magic absorbed part of Regina's life source and she didn't want to put her in danger again. She hated she was unable to control her outbursts and how it always affected the people she loved most.

Her powers more than inherited magic felt like an unbreakable curse cast upon her. "How can I control my emotions when I can't even allow myself to feel them?" She asked herself as she sat on a rock to think.

She was feeling desperate and with her turmoil of feelings, snow fell with more intensity from the sky. It started covering the landscape and the Queen decided to build herself a fortress. She needed her own space to safely practice magic and for that she needed to keep people away, so she made ice rise from the ground and bring her up to the very peak of the mountain and built her citadel in that place.

From an explosion of snow and sparkle a beautiful castle emerged; made of translucent blue ice that reflected the afternoon light like a faceted diamond. She smiled proudly at her creation and then closed the gate behind her. "I can do good things when I feel free."

She smiled and went to her new bedchambers and opened the doors to the balcony facing the sun. "The view is beautiful and it is so quiet in here." She took a deep breath to inhale the scent of fresh snow in the forest. "I will let go of my fears and be in control. I can't let the past continue to haunt me. I won't let it hurt those I cherish… not again."

* * *

In School

"What is that?" Henry looked at the strange thing reflecting bright sunlight like a mirror in the distance. "I've no idea." Mary Margaret told him as she and the rest of the students enjoyed their lunch break. "Okay, kids. Lunchtime is over. Everyone, back in your classrooms." Another of the teachers ordered.

* * *

In the Ice Palace

Elsa was using the full potential of her magic freely for the second time in her life and it felt _–Amazing!–_  she exclaimed as she made a snowman come to life. "Olaf!" She greeted the little figure. "Mother! Highness!" The snowman started running around nervously and then froze on his spot. "Olaf, you don't need to pretend to be lifeless. It's me, Elsa." The woman told him and hugged him tightly, what made his head come off his body and roll over the floor. "Oh, my apologies!" Elsa quickly picked it up and put it back.

"Elsa? You... you... look like Queen Idun. Did Olaf get shorter?" The snowman asked as he noticed Elsa was no longer the little girl he remembered playing with in the castle. "No, I just grew bigger." Elsa chuckled and took his wooden hand to shake it. "Ah!" The snowman exclaimed. "And Anna?" He asked innocently but Elsa quickly became gloomy. "She's not here." The blonde went to sit on her throne and the little man came to her side. "I will help you find her! Hide and seek is my favorite game." He said cheerfully but Elsa looked downcast. "No... She's in a world faraway from this, Olaf. We are on our own."

* * *

(Flashback)

They were discussing about trades between the neighboring realms and the young Queen had opposed to granting more money for their transactions with Weselton. The Duke was a greedy man who continued raising his prices under different excuses and Hans was always insisting on the importance of supporting that man in particular.

 _How convenient._ The Queen clenched her teeth didn't even try masking their obvious partnership to get more money from her crown. Elsa had had enough of her in-law's meddling for the day and got up from her seat with anger, but when her palms hit the table; a ray of white-blue light shot all through the surface making it freeze and shatter.

"Sorcery! I knew there was something dubious going on here." The Duke of Weselton exclaimed.

"I told you she was using dark magic to gain power. We can't trust her, gentlemen!" Hans said to the councilmen after Elsa's magic manifested and she ran to hide in her bedchambers.

"She might have even killed her own parents." He planted the seed of doubt in all of the royals in the assembly.

Noblemen looked in fear at each other and decided to believe Hans's words, instead of giving a chance to their regnant Queen to come clean. They had always wondered about the mystery they kept hidden behind closed doors for years and now they knew it was because of Elsa's _dark sorcery_.

"We have laws and the use of magic is considered a crime in our kingdom." One of the men said loudly. Murmurs started echoing in the entire palace and Hans summoned royal knights to bring the Queen to judge her for her crimes.

After marrying Anna, he had been made head of the army against Elsa's true wish.  _"If you don't support my choice of partner, you might as well say good-bye to me."_  Anna's words echoed in her head and Elsa felt obliged to bestow him with the rank he demanded, as she didn't want to loose her only family left. Hans gained full control over their forces and now it was finally his opportunity to claim the throne for himself, after having endured a false marriage.

It had served him taking Anna's heart with an enchanted dagger he got from the dark wizard, though his aim had been going after Elsa's but his surprise had been finding out she wasn't into him, or any other man for that matter. She avoided dancing with anyone in the ball and he couldn't get a chance to be alone with her to rip out her heart and force her into crowning him.

"The Queen has escaped!" One of the soldiers informed Hans as he got to the bedchambers. Her window was broken and there was a slide of ice that went into the forest. "Not the Queen, the WITCH. We are hunting tonight, soldiers!" Hans ordered and they went to prepare their steeds to pursue her.

Elsa kept running but she had to stop by the edge of a cliff, for the fall was steep and no amount of snow underneath would be enough to cushion such a terrible slip. But when Hans and his soldiers faced her, she had to let go of her enchanted gloves and have faith in the full potential of her magic.

She focused her energy in her hands to build a bridge out of ice and managed to escape her own knights through the icy passage connecting two mountains. But soldiers didn't run with the same luck, as their heavy armor and weapons made the frozen bridge collapse and a dozen men fell and met their final end.

"You better hope I never find you, witch!" Hans yelled behind as she continued running through the forest. "For next time, you won't be able to escape fate!"

After hours of aimlessly walking, the dethroned Queen of Arendelle found shelter in a small cottage by the mountain. It was a humble business with hot springs for traveling tourists and their hot waters were claimed to have healing powers, but Elsa wasn't interested in them and instead asked for a place to sleep.

The gentleman tending the business showed her the way and brought her to the hostel where she could have some rest. "Excuse me, kind Sir… Would you happen to have something slightly more private?" Elsa asked him but the tall redhead shook his head in negative. The Queen had never shared her bedchambers and now she would be forced to sleep in a room with strangers.

Elsa went to the bed in the farthest end and removed her cloak to place it on a chair nearby. She noticed she still was wearing her crown and quickly hid it inside a drawer from the nightstand beside her little bed.

"What would a lady like yourself be doing in a place like this?" A young man or girl's voice asked her but Elsa wasn't sure, as her eyes couldn't find the person. "Who asks? Show yourself." The platinum blonde ordered defensively. "Up here." The low voice answered and tapped over the Queen's head lightly.

Elsa hadn't noticed there was a person occupying the bunk bed above hers and nearly fainted with the surprise. "I'm Krystal, by the way." The young lady told her after jumping down from her bed and offering her hand in salutation. Elsa looked warily at it and decided not to tempt her powers from manifesting and took a step back. "I'm El... Eleanor." The Queen answered and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Mhmn..." The other girl uttered as her brown eyes looked at Elsa from top to bottom with suspicion. "Nice to meet you El... eanor." Krystal raised an eyebrow playfully. "So what brings you here?" The woman leaned against the bunk bed's post and pulled out a carrot from inside one of her bags to munch on it.

Elsa raised an eyebrow at the carefree behavior of the other woman and she was still having difficulty with believing that was a lady at all. Her name might be Krystal but she was unusually tall for a woman and wore male clothing of doubtful quality. Her golden hair was cut too short and there was no blush or stain over her lips; she just didn't seem feminine at all, unless you looked closer to her facial features, which were unexpectedly beautiful for someone who carried herself so carelessly.

"I... I was traveling with my steed but he got injured on the road and couldn't make it. I was fortunate enough to find this place to take shelter and hope I can find someone to help me get to my destination tomorrow." Elsa made up. "Hmn... Good luck with that. This isn't really a popular landmark and people are wary of fishy strangers." Krystal told her and started walking toward the door. "How dare you! I am no fishy stranger! I'm Elsa, Quee-" The regal lady had to bite her tongue to stop talking.

"What was that?" Krystal turned around and looked at Elsa with a cheeky grin and put a hand behind her ear as if trying to hear better. "Nothing." The royal lady turned her back and went to sit on her bed. "Okay." Krystal replied and opened the door to go outside.

Elsa turned her head again and got curious about where could that annoying girl be going in the middle of the storm and decided to sneak behind her.  _What if she knew her true identity and went to tell someone so they could claim a bounty on her head that Hans would most likely be glad to pay?_  "I need to make sure." Elsa mumbled and put back her cloak to go outside.

She followed the steps in snow and then heard voices coming from a stable nearby. She went to look through a hole in the wall and watched as Krystal shared her carrots with a reindeer and petted it. She saw the girl speak with the animal and it seemed like they were actually communicating with each other. "Could she have magic, too?" Elsa wondered and tried to look closer, but when she pressed harder against the old plank of wood, the crackling sound alerted the animal and Krystal went to look for the source of noise.

"I know you're there. Come in, Elsa." Krystal told her and the Queen finally stepped inside the stable. "You heard me." Elsa looked to the floor in guilt and then at the reindeer curiously. "This is Sven." The other girl told her and beckoned to get closer. "He doesn't bite." But when Elsa tried to pet the animal, a big purple tongue gave her face a long wet swipe. "AAAHHHH!" Elsa screamed and jumped to Krystal's side and hugged her in fear. "Oh, yah. He is more of a licker." The woman offered an apologetic smile and looked into almond shaped eyes with softness that quickly turned into embarrassment, as they were still embracing each other. Their cheeks turned bright red and they pushed each other away.

"I... ah... Sorry. I didn't mean to..." Elsa looked at her surroundings nervously to evade caramel eyes. "It's okay. I would've been scared too." Krystal finished for her and went to sit beside her pet. "I will be sleeping here so you can feel more comfortable in the cabin. I was the only guest there, so now you have the room for yourself." The brown-eyed said to her and leaned onto Sven's belly. "Better than those stiff beds and much warmer." She rubbed his belly and Sven flashed his teeth in agreement.

"Here?" Elsa looked at the piles of straw around them. "Yep. Here. Enjoy your bed, Majesty." Krystal answered and closed her eyes. "Uh... Thank you." Elsa mumbled and went outside to make it back to the cabin but she couldn't bring herself to sleep, as she was replaying the image of disaster that had happened in her palace.

She was banned from her own land but didn't want to leave Anna by the mercy of that treacherous man. "He must have done something to change her." Elsa kept thinking and her mind was set on finding a way back into her castle without getting noticed so she could take her sister with her and leave everything behind them to start over.

"The dark wizard!" Elsa exclaimed after touching her glove-less hands. "He will help me."

The next morning, Elsa went to look for Krystal in the stable but she couldn't find her or Sven either. She went to ask the business tender about the other girl and her reindeer and he told her Krystal had checked out earlier as she was in a hurry. "Did you see in which direction they took path?" Elsa asked him and he pointed to the road ahead. "Thank you!" She left some gold coins on his table and the man almost had a heart stroke as that was more money then the one he could make in months.

Elsa used the impulse of her magic to move through the forest faster, but it began wearing off since she wasn't used to making use of it so frequently. The path of ice she had been gliding on started melting and she finally tripped after her hands stopped emitting light and summoning ice under her feet. She rolled over snow and her body finally crashed against someone else's.

"Elsa?" The brown-eyed girl asked as she rubbed her head in pain. She had been standing by the road deciding which path to take that could save her some time, as the snowstorm didn't seem to want to cease, when the royal lady rolled and hit her from behind causing both to fall to the ground.

"Krystal! I'm so glad I caught you." The Queen sighed in relief and then looked down and blushed lightly. "Oh, sorry!" She apologized and hopped off the other woman's body. "I would say it was  _me_  who caught  _you_." Krystal's brow furrowed and she slowly got up after Elsa.

"I need your help. I will reward your efforts beyond imagination if you agree to bring me to the Enchanted Forest." Elsa asked her and Krystal raised an eyebrow. "No way." The other woman answered as she brushed snow off her male attire. "Please! I could give you anything you wished for." Elsa took her hands and looked deeply into caramel eyes, but Krystal glared and retrieved them. "I said no. That land is wretched and there is no fortune big enough that will convince me to go back there." The woman grumbled and hopped on her sled. "So you know the way…" Elsa mumbled.

"Krystal, please. Would you really leave a lady like myself to perish in a storm like this?" Elsa used a higher and more innocent voice to appeal to her soft spot, if she had one. Krystal rolled her eyes and sighed deeply. She knew Elsa was being manipulative and damn did she hit the right target. "Get on." The woman grumbled and Elsa grinned widely. She got on the sled and sat beside her. "To the Enchanted Forest then." Elsa said and Krystal ordered Sven to take off.

Feeling safer now, Elsa started sharing the reason behind her unexpected trip. "Did she really get engaged a day after meeting him?" Krystal's brow furrowed. "Yes. That's why I think he must have done something to her. She became so distant and cold toward me after that ball." Elsa sighed deeply and brought her hands to her chest. "Hans sounds like a piece of... work." Krystal mumbled and passed her an apple. "Thank you." Elsa took it and looked at the red apple for a moment.

"Why didn't you want to help me reach to the Enchanted Forest before?" Elsa asked her. "It's a long story… I'm sure your highness would rather not be dreaded by a boring peasant's story-telling." Krystal told her. "Don't assume things just because of my title, Krystal." Elsa said offended. "And,  _as of now,_  I don't even possess any." Her brow furrowed and Krystal could tell this Queen was nothing like what she assumed all royals to be.

But that wasn't really why Krystal didn't want to share her own tale, but because it was a painful memory she didn't like recalling. It was long buried in the past and she hadn't actually ever shared her story.  _Maybe it was time to open up._ She looked into Elsa's eyes and knew she could share it with her.

She started telling her about how his family was nomad and they would often move in search of an income. They worked selling ice and for that they had to travel long distances to carry their product and offer it to businessmen in whichever land they found themselves in at that moment.

It was during one of those trips that they came to the Enchanted Forest. The sun was starting to set and they decided to rest in a clear they found by the foot of the mountain, but what they didn't realize in time was they had chosen to set their camp very close to a bear den.

She was sleeping when the nightmare started, between dreams she heard the screams and with difficulty opened her eyes and stepped out of the small tent. Her father was waving a branch and yelling at big bear to release his wife when another one showed up and threatened him. Krystal was paralyzed in shock and that was what saved her, for the bears focused on her parents and didn't notice her presence.

"I felt something suddenly tug on my shoulder and I thought it had been the claw of a bear, but when I turned around I realized it was a boy not much older than me. He asked me to be quiet and he whistled to called for help. But to my surprise, a wolf pack appeared and they started to fight the bears attacking my parents." Krystal felt her eyes sting but managed to contain the tears.

"And what happened after?" Elsa asked enthralled by the story.

"The rest was a blur... I remember the boy hugged me and covered my eyes so I would stop seeing the bloody encounter and after an eternity of growls, screams and howls, the battle was over and wolves were sharing the meat of the two bears." Krystal wiped a tear that managed to escape her.

"What about your parents?" Elsa had to ask her.

"They didn't touch them, but they were severely injured by the bears and couldn't make it." The brown-eyed took a deep breath. "Sven was my only family left and it was that mysterious boy who taught me how to communicate with my dear friend. We were taken in by his den for some time but then decided to go back to Arendelle, the only place where it felt home. The land where we were born."

"I'm sorry, Krystal." Elsa squeezed her shoulder. This humble woman had suffered a tragic loss and she felt now she wasn't the only human victim of a wicked fate and felt bad about making her come back to the land she abhorred, but she really had no one else to turn to.

"We're getting closer." Krystal commented and Elsa looked around them. It had been hours since they last saw snow in the landscape and had to leave the sled behind to continue their journey over Sven's back.

The sky was dark and as they deepened in the forest, Elsa started feeling something strange, something darker, that pressed around her. "Do you feel that?" Elsa asked. "What?" Krystal asked with curiosity. "This… darkness surrounding us. Like a thick fog squeezing around you."

"Um… no." The other woman shrugged and raised an eyebrow. "Elsa, do you… have magic?" Krystal asked her as she looked intently. "NO. Why would you ask such a question?" The Queen answered nervously. "Because only those who wield magic can perceive it." Krystal responded. "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me." She smiled warmly and both women locked gazes for a moment.

"This is as far as I will get, Elsa. If you follow the road, you will soon be in the realm." Krystal told her as she helped her down of the reindeer. "Thank you." Elsa said to her as her feet touched dry ground and then remembered she had to pay for the trip. "You may have this as a promise of a better payment when I go back to Arendelle." The Queen pulled out something from the bag she kept under her cloak and then placed it in her hands.

"Your crown? I can't accept it." Krystal tried to return it. "And I don't need you to pay me anything. It has been nice spending some time with another person for a change. No offense, Sven." The woman smiled apologetically to her pet and the reindeer turned his head away in self-pity.

"But I insist. I forced myself on you and you came against your own wish… and I know how it feels like to do something you don't really want to." Elsa mumbled the last part as her eyes looked downcast.

"Elsa." Krystal called softly. "Yes?" An azure gaze met with caramel again. "Promise me you will be safe. That is the only payment I am willing to accept." The tall woman pleaded as her hands gently placed the crown back in the Queen's hands. "Please stay safe and come back for Arendelle."

* * *

(Present time)

"Another world?" Olaf said softly and his eyes gained a different glint than Elsa's did, as that could only mean in his snowy brain that the game had become all the more thrilling. He started walking to the balcony and then jumped off to start his quest for finding Anna's hiding spot. "Where are you going?" Elsa yelled at him from her balcony but the little snowman didn't hear her and continued rolling down hill with excitement.

"Damn it! I can't leave him on the loose here." Elsa scuffed and went running downstairs. She had to stop to catch her breath and then tried to use her magic to create a slide of ice, but after building her palace and bringing Olaf to life, her power was weakened and she couldn't use it to create the shortcut. "Great. And I had to choose the peak of the mountain to build my home." She huffed and started hiking down the mountain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kristoff is Krystal and Elsa's special someone


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa in Arendelle. Set to around the time Queen Eva was expecting Snow White.

After finishing his classes, Henry asked Regina to take him to the park under false pretense. He said he wanted to spend the afternoon with her to make up for the lost time; instead of Emma, which was partially true but he was more interested in having a slightly closer look at the thing that appeared at the peak of the mountain. Regina gladly agreed after Emma brought him from school to the station, as she was also interested in going back to that same park because it had been the last place where she saw Elsa.

Henry was tempted to go mountain hiking but Regina was keeping a close look at him and had already forbidden him from skating on the frozen lake. In fact, she decided to call Emma and ask her to secure the area so no one would enter after her accident earlier in the morning. "On my way." Emma replied and the Mayor hang-up her cellphone. "Henry, don't go too far." His mother yelled behind him and he went back to join her.

Regina got lost in thought gazing in direction of the lake, remembering her kiss with Elsa and how she reacted to it, when Henry finally decided to ask about her strange white hair. "Mom… What's up with your new look? Going Cruella de Vil?" He chuckled and his mother pinched him in the arm. "You're rude, young man." She glared but wasn't really mad, as she knew her boy didn't see her as a villain anymore and it was a little funny the way her hair looked with that strand of colorless hair.

"So?" He asked again and Regina didn't really know what to answer. She wasn't yet ready to tell him she had by now kissed two women, his other mother included, and it was actually a mystery why this had happened after kissing the Queen of Arendelle. "It just turned white. I guess I'm getting older." The Mayor shrugged and Henry twitched his lip unconvinced.

"Did you get to teach Elsa any cool tricks today?" The boy decided to change topic. "No. She had to leave early because her family called and she had to go back home." Regina made up for him. "Oh, pity. She was pretty nice." Henry shrugged but then turned to look at his mother with interest. "Would you teach me instead?" He asked suddenly. "Why would you want to learn magic, Henry? I thought you were against it." His mother asked with surprise. "That was ages ago, mom. I believe I'm ready now, besides, everyone seems to be doing it now and I don't want to be left out." He huffed and kicked at a pile of snow as they walked.

The rattling of the old VW's caught their attention and Regina asked him to wait for her while she showed Emma all the area she wanted secured. The Mayor left her son alone for a moment and went to meet with the Deputy to arrange for safety and help her put signs preventing people from entering the lake.

"Hey, that hurt!" A male voice uttered and Henry turned around to look for the person talking, but he didn't find anyone and then his eyes watched the snow pile start moving until a snowman was standing before him. "Did you just talk?" Henry was baffled but excited at the same time. "Do you see anyone else here?" The snowman looked around. "And you just kicked me." He glared and removed his head to have a look at the damage. "You made an indentation in my bottom." The snowman said with sadness as he held his own head in his little hands to look at his rear end.

"Ugh… I'm sorry." Henry apologized awkwardly and picked some snow from the ground to rebuild the snowman's butt but it ended up slightly bigger. "Oops! I may have put too much." Henry went to remove the excess but the snowman stopped him. "No! It's perfect, so round and squishy. It looks like a fluffy cloud, leave it." Olaf grinned and put back his head. "Okay..." Henry mumbled and quirked his lip in amusement.

"I'm Olaf." The snowman presented himself and looked with wide round eyes at the boy expecting a reply. "I'm Henry." The boy offered a hand and Olaf shook it. "So what brings you to Storybrooke? I take it you're not from around here." The young man looked closely at the curious character.

"Got that right!" The snowman exclaimed but then beckoned Henry to come closer and started whispering in his ear while looking suspiciously at their surrounding and covering his lips with wooden fingers. "I'm looking for Anna. We're playing hide and seek but Elsa already gave up and I want to find her so I can be the next to hide." He told him in secret and Henry's brow furrowed in confusion. "Wait. You're THAT Olaf?" Henry looked closely and shook his head in disbelief.

"I see…" The snowman mumbled and then started moving his lips very slowly as he spoke. "Y-e-s… I'm O-l-a-f and I see you're a v-e-r-y special boy. Can you keep Olaf's secret so Anna doesn't know I'm getting close to her hideaway, p-l-e-a-s-e?" The curious creature asked him very slowly and patted his back kindly.

"Dude, I'm not slow." Henry got mad and blurted. "Well, kid, you sure fooled me." The snowman raised an eyebrow and started walking away. "Hey, wait! Where are you going?" Henry asked him as he tried to follow. "You sure you're not slow?" Olaf responded and rolled his eyes. "I'm going to find Anna."

"Henry!" Emma's voice sounded behind him and Henry had to stop following after the snowman and Olaf soon camouflaged with the white landscape. "I asked you not to go far." Regina told him after catching up with both of them. "Sorry, I just…" The boy was saying but stopped mid-sentence as it all clicked now.  _Elsa, Olaf, Anna and Regina's white strand of hair… Of course!_

"Mom, did you have a fight with Elsa?" Henry asked out of the blue. "Of course not. Why do you ask?" Regina asked nervously and spared a glance at Emma, who looked at her momentarily and then away to evade Henry's stare. "Because I think I know now who she is and she's dangerous mom. You can't let her use her magic with you again, even if she doesn't mean to hurt you." Henry told her and Emma wanted to high five him but had to bite her lip and pretend to be clueless.

"I ... a... I haven't seen her since early in the morning, Henry, and she's not dangerous. She's just misunderstood." Regina defended her and Emma inevitably frowned. "And how do you know all of this?" His brunette mother had to ask. "Because of your hair change, her name and she needed help with her magic. We watched a movie about her last year in New York." He quickly formulated and Regina looked at Emma for a response. "That's true." Emma nodded and Regina sighed deeply.

"Haven't you learned that you can't believe everything you see or read in those silly Disney versions?" Regina glared and Henry looked down to the ground. "I'm just worried for you mom. If more of your hair turns white, you could eventually freeze and die." He closed his fists inside his pockets feeling impotence and fear of losing his mother. "Henry... Nothing will happen to me, honey." The brunette went to embrace her son and kissed his forehead tenderly.

Emma smiled at the touching scene and then looked at the landscape covered in snow. "It's getting even colder." She commented and then noticed a figure moving in the far back. "We should go home." The blonde said after noticing a platinum braid in the distance.

She slipped a hand behind Henry and then another behind Regina to walk together as if they were official. She turned lightly to glance behind her and her eyes met with Elsa's in challenge. Emma smiled in victory and continued walking but Regina gave her a stern glare because Henry was about to notice the way Emma was holding her.

A furious wind began blowing suddenly and they had to start running to make it to their cars before a storm hit.

"Elsa, you found me!" Olaf exclaimed as he came from behind a trash bin. "I wish you had been the only one I found here." Elsa muttered as she looked with anger at the woman claiming Regina for herself. "Who else was playing?" Olaf asked innocently and then turned to look at the family of three Elsa was watching so intently. "The special boy?" He asked. "No. It's  _Emma_  who has stepped inside the game." She muttered and started walking firmly in direction of the street.

Olaf started following behind her and wondered what had made Elsa so unusually angry. "The lady in gray?" He asked as he tried to keep up. "No, the peasant in red." Elsa grumbled. "What are we playing now, Elsa?" He asked nervously. "Snowball-throwing, of course." She smirked as she felt her magic returning. "Great idea!" Olaf exclaimed and threw the first ball in direction of the woman dressed in red jacket.

Emma had just closed the door for Henry after he got inside Regina's car and she was going to go into her own car when the unexpected ball hit her in the head. "Ow!" She grunted and turned around to look for the person who dared shooting a snowball at her but she didn't see anyone, as Elsa had hidden behind Olaf and all Emma could see was a lifeless snowman standing a few yards from her. "Weird." She mumbled and made it to her car to leave.

"Olaf! She could've thought it was me." Elsa reprimanded him. "Isn't that the purpose of this game?" Olaf raised an eyebrow and looked at Elsa like she was a mad trip. "Right. Just... I am the only one who will be throwing her balls, okay? I need you to stay in the palace and protect it from strangers. Can you do that for me, please?" Elsa asked him politely.

Olaf looked at her and sighed deeply. "Alright, Elsa. I know when I'm not wanted." He feigned to weep and Elsa rolled her eyes. "Fine. You can roam around but please don't talk to anyone and, if someone gets close, pretend you're just a snowman." The lady told him. "Like in the old times?" He flashed his teeth in a wide grin. "Yes, just like in the old times. But, please, do stay out of sight." She pleaded.

* * *

At Regina's

The doorbell started calling and Regina went to open the door after washing her hands.

"Elsa." Regina's voice came out soft and her eyes filled with joy. "I have been worried about you all day. Why did you leave me like that? Why didn't you look back and come when I call-" She was saying when Elsa couldn't take it any longer and went forward to kiss crimson lips. Regina was taken by surprise but it was a good kind of surprise and her own hands went to rest over Elsa's shoulders, forgetting for a moment about the visitor having dinner with Henry.

Elsa gave into a kiss for the first time without fear and forgot about the possible consequences of her emotional outburst. All she knew was she needed to feel Regina's warmth and savor those lips she had become addicted to, ever after that first taste.

The cold stormy weather began ceasing outside and Regina's white strand of hair started glowing again, but this time it recovered its usual blackness and when their lips finally parted, Elsa was astounded at what had just happened.

"Regina!" She exclaimed and it took the brunette a moment to react, as she was still bedazzled by the kiss. "Ah... Yes?" Regina cleared her throat and decided to step down her porch. She then took Elsa's hand and guided her to a side of the house where Henry nor Emma would see them, and remained holding that hand with no intention to let go.

"What was that?" Regina asked with a shy smile. "The best kiss I've had in my life." Elsa answered and smiled brightly. Regina felt happy to hear that and then noticed the weather had dramatically changed, as even the sun was starting to shine through clouds that were clearing.

"The weather. It really is connected to you." Regina commented and Elsa nodded in guilt, what made the sky began to loose vibrancy soon after. "Do you know what this means?" Regina asked her. "That it is my fault you have a lot of repairs to do in your town?" Elsa said nervously and the wind started blowing cold again.

Emma noticed the weird swings in weather through one of the windows and Regina's long absence bothered her, so she decided to go have a look at the person who had dared interrupting her first family dinner with Henry and Regina in the mansion. Her brow furrowed when she couldn't find them by the entrance and then looked out the window, but she still couldn't see them.

"Ma, what are you doing?" Henry came behind her. "I was just wondering what could be taking your mom so long." Emma answered and went back to sit at the table. "Should we wait for her to finish or can we continue eating?" Henry asked confusedly. "You go ahead, Henry. I will wait." The blonde flashed a smile and focused her sight on the glass of white wine she had before her.

Emma then looked at her bowl of hot soup and had a brilliant idea. She picked up the silver spoon from her side and looked at the polished surface.  _This should work as a mirror_. She thought and focused to make it show her Regina.

"That's meaningless to me, Elsa." Regina took her other hand in hers. "It means you are managing to control your emotions and magic. When you follow your heart's desire, you can do good things." Regina smiled.

"You just need to break completely free so you can affect the weather no longer. You can do it, Elsa. I have faith in you." Regina assured her like Henry had done with her not long ago and it showed her she could have light magic. She knew how much of a difference it made to have someone who believed in you and she wanted to make Elsa feel that way.

Elsa smiled warmly and then took one step closer. She looked into brown eyes with longing and thought about the possibility of Regina returning her feelings. Sure they had now kissed twice, but Elsa wasn't sure if the brunette shared the same feelings she knew she had for the mayor now. _What if Regina only did it to show her she could control her emotions?_  She was more experienced in how magic worked and maybe it had just been part of a test but not more.

"Regina..." Elsa whispered and began leaning down slowly.  _Would Regina turn away this time that she had the opportunity to do so?_  She had caught her earlier by surprise, so this was the real test for her now. "Yes?" Regina asked shyly and waited nervously for Elsa to say something,  _or perhaps kiss her again,_  and looked into green eyes with hopeful expectation. But this kiss would mean much more if they were both to give into it with full acceptance and conscience of their actions and both women felt a flutter in their stomachs.

"Ma?" Henry asked for a third time after noticing how firmly Emma was holding her spoon and how intently she was looking at it. Emma steeled her jaw at the sight of a kiss soon to happen between them and her magic inevitably manifested in the form of getting sucked into the image reflected in the polished surface of her spoon and appearing right in between both women.

"Oh my God! What did just happen?" Emma asked in disbelief and Regina and Elsa were both in shock and beyond furious. "Seriously, Ms. Swan?" Regina growled and Emma moved to a side carefully. "I didn't mean to interrupt... whatever you two were about to do." The girl in red jacket responded as she tried to walk away un-harmed. "Of course you did." Elsa muttered and ice crystals began appearing around Elsa and directing sharp points at the other woman  _unintentionally_.

"Elsa, you can be in control." Regina placed a hand gently on her forearm and Elsa tried to calm down. "Don't let your emotions control you." Regina told her and it took Elsa all her might to stop feeling the insecurity and jealousy she was feeling that moment. Elsa focused in Regina's eyes and finally managed to make ice stalagmites melt and vaporize.

"You're right, Regina." Elsa took a deep breath. "I can be in control." The regal lady turned her gaze toward Emma's. "She isn't worth my time." Elsa turned around. "But neither should be yours." The regal lady muttered and started walking away from the other two, angry about Regina protecting Emma again.

"Elsa, come back! Stop running away." Regina caught up with her. "I will when you make up your mind." Elsa told her with a broken voice. "What do you mean?" Regina narrowed her eyes on her. "Isn't it obvious?" Elsa threw her hands in the air and it started snowing again, but it was a gentle snow this time; resembled to the one that appeared when Regina kissed her the first time. "I… love you." The braided lady sadly confessed before vanishing in a cloud of snow.

Emma couldn't avoid feeling sympathy for Elsa this time. The other woman's expression had been of a broken heart and as much as Emma wanted to continue disliking her; she just couldn't, but that didn't change the fact that she was now a confessed rival in her love quest to gain back Regina.

"She's too hot tempered for someone with a heart of ice." Emma commented behind the brunette. "Shut up, Emma." Regina glared. "You're cute when you're mad." Emma whispered behind her ear and Regina didn't know whether to punch her in the face or laugh at the stupid comment.  _Better ignore her._

"I'm going inside. My soup must have probably turned cold by now." The brunette started walking. "I could warm it for you _, Madam Mayor_." Emma teased and Regina was completely baffled. Emma had never flirted with her  _like that_ , or with anyone at all, in the time she had known her.  _A desperate move?_ "Stop hanging out with Hook, Miss Swan. For a moment, I could almost swear you were that lecherous one handed pirate." Regina told her and Emma rolled her eyes.

They finished their meals in what was the most uncomfortable dinner they'd ever experienced. Henry had been the only one attempting to establish a conversation but it always ended in a yes, no or maybe. His mothers clearly didn't want to cross words or even gazes with one another, for what was enough to gather from their demeanor.

"Thank you for dinner, it was really delicious." Emma smiled gently at Henry and Regina as they stood by the doorframe. "Sure." Regina cut her quick. The blonde went to kiss Henry's forehead and then tried to go after a hug with Regina, but the brunette shot her a  _piss-off_ glare and Emma just bit her lip and turned on her heel to leave the mansion. "See ya tomorrow, ma!" Henry said behind her and Emma waved a hand before entering her lousy bug.

At Elsa's

The Ice Queen spent the rest of the evening crying alone in her bedroom, overwhelmed at the realization of her feelings for Regina.  _How did I fall so easily for someone?_ She kept questioning herself and felt miserable. Nothing good ever came from her giving into love and she inhaled deeply. "Maybe it is all for the best." She wanted to convince herself she had to give up in the matters of the heart.

This jealousy was turning her into a person she didn't recognize and she didn't really want to harm anyone. Emma was an annoying woman but she really had no reasons to hate her. It was up to Regina to realize which was her heart's desire now and Elsa felt hopeless. Emma and Regina shared a son and had more history together than she could ever compete with. Besides, her love life had always been doomed to fail. "How could I forget that?"

* * *

(Flashback)

"I believe you are here to see me." The wizard's voice came from behind her in the forest. Krystal had since long left and Elsa had been following the road for what felt like hours. "Are you the dark wizard?" Elsa asked nervously and Rumplestiltskin appeared right next to her in the blink of an eye. "That should answer your question, dearie." He sneered.

Elsa told him she needed him to change her appearance so she could return to her own land and take her sister with her without anyone recognizing her. Rumplestiltskin told her it was quite possible but the price for his service was always steep.

"Anything to save my sister from Hans." Elsa mumbled and Rumplestiltskin remembered the name. The cold weather that had been left behind soon caught up with her and the snow that started to fall confirmed the Dark One who this woman was. He approached her more closely and pushed back the hood of her cloak so he could see the face she kept hiding. He grinned contently at seeing her face and a glint of malice appeared in his eye.

"The Queen of Arendelle! Of course I would be more than happy to help you." He told her and slipped an arm around her frame and started walking with her. "What is the price?" She stopped walking and faced him. "Price? Nonsense! For you, highness, it will be my pleasure doing it out of honest caring." He made a reverence and Elsa was unconvinced. "I would much rather pay, Wizard." She insisted and pulled out the crown she had offered Krystal earlier.

"Well, if you insist." Rumplestiltskin took it and smiled contently at something he saw there. "No one will recognize you, dearie, but there is a catch to the effects of such a spell." The sorcerer forewarned. "What is it, Sorcerer?" She asked and Rumplestiltskin told her she would have no magic for as long as she was under the shape-shifting spell. "I'm still willing to take the risk." Elsa insisted and Rumplestiltskin giggled in excitement.

Crimson smoke engulfed her body and she was turned into a peasant nobody would recognize or care for. "How will Anna recognize me? She won't want to come with a stranger." Elsa asked him. "The spell will wear off once you have reached to her bedchambers." He answered. "Have a safe trip,  _my Queen_." He waved a hand behind her and watched her walk away.

Rumplestiltskin then looked at the crown again and removed a thin platinum hair from it. He put it inside a small container with liquid contents and held it up against the moonlight. His potion began glowing and he smirked with satisfaction.

Noise started coming from a pile of old rags and Rumplestiltskin turned to look at it with a grimace. "What to do with the extra luggage?" He singsong and then had an idea. He snapped his fingers together and made the animal he had captured turn into a small carved wood reindeer and brought it with him to place it over a shelf in the library of his castle.

"That's a lovely sculpture." Belle pointed at the reindeer and Rumplestiltskin feigned not to care. "Nobody asked you. Go back to your duties, woman." He shooed her away but she smiled behind him. She had by now been with him for a long time, though her youthful appearance might trick one, and knew he didn't mean the rudeness he showed her. It was a strange relationship forged over years of service; years the Dark One for some unknown reason would not allow tainting the maiden's looks.

Back in the forest, Elsa found Sven tied to a tree on her way back and wondered what had happened with Krystal. She approached the nervous reindeer slowly and, after the animal looked into green-blue eyes, it recognized who she really was. He looked like he wanted to tell her something but the now brunette haired lady couldn't understand him. "I'm sorry, Sven, I can't speak reindeer." She told him and felt desperate but then her eyes noticed a letter tucked in the bag hanging on his side.

_I figured you would need a ride back home. I've decided to take my own path but couldn't leave a lady like yourself to walk all the way back to Arendelle. Please take good care of my dear friend and maybe one day I will come back for him. It's a promise. Krystal._

Elsa felt sad for a moment because Krystal wouldn't be joining her in this quest but it was perhaps for the best, as it would be a dangerous one and she didn't want to put her in risk. The only thing that gave her solace was that last line she read; Krystal's promise to come back one day.

Elsa mounted the reindeer and took path back to Arendelle. She had to stop to rest when the night fell but as the first ray of light shone in the sky, she got back on track. She thanked Sven for keeping up with her demands and was glad to finally distinguish her realm in the distance.

She entered through big gates with the obedient reindeer and guards didn't pay much mind to the poor looking woman. They let her pass after checking the supplies she carried in the bag tied to the reindeer and she was soon walking in the core of her kingdom.

The sound of trumpets caught her attention and then heard as servants of her castle went through the streets announcing the new coronation. She was already expecting it, but actually hearing and seeing about it made her stomach twist with mixed feelings. There was anger on the surface, but what lied beneath was pain and a foreign feeling she had not embraced before.

She felt hope and new fire burned inside her chest with resolve to take back her kingdom and return it to its sunlit days. She was no longer lonely and she could see herself occupying the throne with a person next to her. "Krystal." She mumbled and the reindeer turned to look at her with hope she could recognize the soul trapped behind round eyes. "I miss her too." She told the reindeer and petted his nose.

Those last days in her company had given her a new perspective and balance. Her magic had not manifested during the time she had been with her and there was just something about Krystal that gave her control over her emotions and it also filled her with unusual warmth. "Come, let's go." Elsa called on the animal and they moved carefully around the castle.

Elsa knew the palace like the back of her hand and could easily find a way inside. Playing in secret with Anna during her childhood had taught her all the secret passages the old castle encompassed. "Stay here and don't make noise." She ordered Sven and covered his body with the old rags she had been wearing over her royal dress. She gave him the last apples and carrots Krystal's old leather bag carried and then managed to make her hair look more presentable.

She snuck inside the palace and moved with the same grace her many keepers carried. There were so many servants that she could easily pass as one of them but nobody was really paying attention, as all of them were busy with the preparations for the coronation.

She peeked into one of the service bedchambers and then stole an apron and dress to get changed. She moved upstairs and told royal guards the Queen had requested her afternoon tea and they let her pass with the tray and teapot.

Once inside Anna's bedchambers, her look started slowly changing. "Elsa?" Her sister asked with doubt after brown mane turned platinum blonde. "Anna!" Her sister went forward to embrace her and got lost in the emotional moment. She held onto her sister tightly and started weeping. "I thought you were dead." Anna said to her and her own tears began falling. "No. I was banned from the lands, but I will fight for them and I will free you from Hans's spell." Her older sister told her.

"What spell?" Anna broke the embrace and glared. "There's no time to waste, sister, please just come with me." Elsa grabbed onto her hand and pulled her to start walking. "I'm not going anywhere… and neither are you, witch." Her sister said with a dark voice and a figure came to join them from the shadows.

Hans was speaking to a red glowing object and with every word that left his mouth, her own sister's lips replicated his speech. "What have you done to her?" Elsa asked with fear and tried to summon her magic, but her shape-shifting spell hadn't completely worn off and there was no magic to make use of.

"This should have been your heart, Elsa. We could've saved ourselves all the trouble." He approached slowly and caressed Anna's cheek with the back of his hand. "Isn't she a doll?" Hans asked with sarcasm and Elsa's eyes flickered silver in anger.

"Don't you ever touch her again!" She yelled and magic started flickering around her hands. "No, no. If you summon your magic, she dies. All it would take is a gentle squeeze." He threatened and began pressing at Anna's heart, what made the younger girl groan in pain and fall on her knees by Hans's feet.

"Please don't hurt her! I will leave and never come back. You can keep the crown you so much want." Elsa said with a strained voice. "Poor Elsa…" He told her with false pity as he brought his face closer to hers. "If only someone had ever loved you to break that curse cast upon you." He whispered in her ear and Elsa was baffled. "What? Speak clear." She demanded.

"Guards!" Hans raised his voice and several knights came through the door. "The urn." He ordered and one of them brought it to his feet. "Since I can't trust you staying away from my kingdom, I will have to keep my kingdom away from you." He told her and removed the lid from the vase.

A vortex of black dust started twisting around her and Elsa got sucked inside the enchanted vase her parents had once gotten from the dark wizard. Elsa couldn't understand what was happening as her body turned into a cold liquid, but she could still hear the voices talking outside before completely melting inside the magical prison.

"I have come to collect payment, Highness." The Dark One said to him. "Not after you give me what you promised, Rumplestiltskin." Hans grimaced. "Have I ever let you down,  _prince_  Hans?" The warlock looked into his eyes and Hans refrained from correcting the new title.

Hans gave him the urn containing Elsa and in return, he received two potions from the dark sorcerer. "Just pour this on her drink and it will be as if Elsa had never even been born." He told him and Hans grinned contently. Having a puppet for a wife wasn't as exciting as he had thought in the beginning and he no longer needed to possess her heart so literally.

The wizard vanished from his kingdom with the urn and Hans looked at the silver glowing potion with an evil grin. "I have a better idea." He mumbled.

Hans went to the main spring from which their realm retrieved their fresh water and poured the contents of the potion inside it. The water glowed briefly and then he knew his plan would work correctly. "No one will ever remember the witch existed." He said with satisfaction and then drank from the second bottle he received. "Except for me, of course."

Krystal had followed the false King and heard what his plan had been. She pretended to be eating pasture when the power hungry man looked at the reindeer suspiciously, but he paid it no mind, as it was only an animal. Krystal decided to make a trip back to the Enchanted Forest and make her own deal with the evil wizard to recover her human shape. She avoided drinking the tainted waters and instead would only have snow for hydration during her trip.

"You don't have to keep running,  _deerie_." The warlock chuckled and appeared beside a tree to talk with the reindeer. Krystal looked up at him and glared angrily, as she couldn't come to speak because of her animal body. "Sorry, I can't make a deal if I can't understand part of the agreement." The Dark One mocked her and the reindeer snorted.

"Elsa is my property now, she's not up for bargains." Rumplestiltskin told her and Krystal charged at him but he just evaded her like a bullfighter. "Only a selfless act of love will break the curse I personally cast on her. So unless you can give her True Love's kiss, I'm afraid your cause is a lost battle." He grimaced and vanished.

Rumplestiltskin opened the lid on the vase after getting to his secret vault. He let Elsa come out of the urn and offered her a deal she might be interested in. "I will cast no curse on your behalf, Evil Warlock." Elsa told her and her magic began manifesting. "After everything you've done to me, what makes you believe I would?" She confronted him and shot her raging energy against him, she hit him by the feet and he laughed at her for a moment.

But it was a laugh that didn't last long, as cold stalagmites rose from the ground up and trapped half of his body inside. By now Elsa had surpassed her level of tolerance and she was determined to break free and save her sister from the torment of submitting to these vile manipulative monsters and her magic continued growing with her rage.

The Dark One had difficulty with managing to escape her wrath and when he finally shattered ice, Elsa trapped him again by making his right side paralyze. "This is as far as you will go, Rumplestiltskin. I am done with being the good girl everyone expects me to be. I will recover what is rightfully mine and I don't care if I have to darken my heart in the process." She said with a much lower voice while she approached him slowly.

"I didn't know one could rip out hearts, thanks for giving me the idea." She said dangerously and turned her hand into a claw, ready to burrow inside his chest. "Wait! If you kill me now, you won't be able to see your Krystal ever again." Rumplestiltskin warned her. "What have you done to her?" Elsa turned pale and tugged on his vest with anger.

"I propose a new deal." Rumplestiltskin told her. "If you go inside the vase on your own, I will let her live a peaceful life. But if you try to escape or kill me, she will die with me." He told her and Elsa closed her fists in anger. "How can I trust you if all you do is turn everything in your favor?" Elsa questioned. "You really can't and shouldn't." He smirked cynically. "But I never break a deal and everyone knows that." He gave her his word.

Elsa allowed him to move and the dark wizard transported them back to the forest. "She's right there." He pointed at the reindeer eating snow. "That's Sven, not Krystal." Elsa glared and made a choker of ice appear around his neck and squeeze him slowly. "Look again." He said with difficulty and crimson smoke turned the reindeer back into a woman.

"Krystal!" Elsa ran in her direction and hugged her tightly. "I thought I would never see you again." She started crying. "Elsa!" Krystal exclaimed and cupped her face in her hands. "I made you a promise and I never really left your side." She told her warmly and looked into her eyes with softness.

"I've complied to my part of the deal, dearie." Rumplestiltskin appeared next to them.

"The curse! No…" Krystal mumbled. "Elsa, I love you." She told her and pulled her into her arms before Rumplestiltskin would open the lid of the urn he held in his hands. "What?" Elsa was perplexed but Krystal didn't give her a chance to say another word and went for a kiss. She claimed her lips with hers and Elsa was overwhelmed by her feelings. She remembered her deal with the wizard and the pain of having to part from the side of the only person that had thawed her heart made deep sorrow take over.

As sadness and pain got the best of her, magic began manifesting in the negative way she had grown up fearing. Golden hair was the first thing to change, as it quickly turned white and then Krystal's body became translucent with the long kiss they shared. When Elsa finally managed to pull away from her partner's strong grip, it was already too late. "No! Help me, Rumplestiltskin!" Elsa begged to him.

"Sorry, dearie, but your magic is too unpredictable even for me to undo what you started." He answered and put the urn over the ground. "I believe we have a deal waiting to be paid." He pointed to the vase and Elsa cried with impotence. "You promised she would live a peaceful life." Elsa yelled at him.

"What could be more peaceful than eternal life as a sculpture of ice?" He chuckled. "I told you I was a man who kept his word." He grinned and opened the vessel. "Now, get inside." He muttered but Elsa refused to leave Krystal's side.

Rumplestiltskin summoned a ball of fire in his hand and threatened with making her beloved friend melt until not a drop was left behind. Elsa had no choice but to obey now and let the void suck her right back inside.

"Ah! People are so gullible." He shook his head. All it had taken him was to lie about a false curse cast upon Elsa to unravel a chain of events that got him yet another valuable relic to save for a rainy day. If Cora's child failed to cast the curse for him, he could still manage to get Elsa to do it. He had Anna under control and a heart frozen in time to be used if needed for the curse, and he would never give up or stop looking for a candidate to enact the Dark Curse.

"Really, why does everyone believe every word I say?" He scratched his head. "I'm the Dark One and that's not even a nickname." He shrugged. "You will make a fancy fountain to welcome my clients." He engulfed the sculpture in crimson smoke and made it appear at the front of his castle. "Perfect ornament to remind them about the price of magic."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adult theme. It's not Swan Queen.

The grumbling in her stomach made Elsa wake up and remember she had not tried a single bite after that morning. Remembering the past and mourning about her possible lack of a future with Regina had kept her uninterested all day. "I need to start thinking about my present." Elsa got up from her bed and looked at her surrounding. "If I'm going to be stuck in Storybrooke, I'll need a job."

Elsa went to the mirror in her vanity and had a look at her face. She had reddened eyes and traces of tears that had dried out during her sleep. She didn't know at which point she had succumbed into sleep but the moon rising outside of her balcony showed her it wasn't too late to start looking.

"Maybe I still have time to find a business open to apply." She mumbled and washed her face with cold water. She appeared new lavender shadow in her eyes and stained her lips with a plum color to go with the elegant black pantsuit Regina had let her borrow.

She vanished in a white mist of snowflakes and appeared in the heart of the town, right in the middle of the street. A car honked loudly and doc yelled at her from his recently fixed Miata. "Get out the way!" The old dwarf shouted and Elsa became a little nervous but there was only another car in the road and she made it to the sidewalk quickly. "Phew! That was close." She mumbled and then started walking downtown.

She saw a small furniture shop and decided to enter, but the old man tending the business told her he wasn't looking for any helpers. His young boy always helped him and he couldn't afford hiring a worker yet. "It's quite alright, kind Sir. I'm afraid I couldn't carve wood with the skill and detail you and your son have mastered." Elsa made a light reverence and turned around to leave. "You can call me Geppetto, lovely lady. And I wish you good luck in your search." The old man waved a hand and Elsa smiled warmly before closing the door behind her.

She continued looking but most businesses had closed, except for one. "The Rabbit Hole?" She read the neon sign and decided to enter, but the smell of smoke quickly invaded her nostrils and made her sneeze.  _*ah-choo*_

"Bless you." A male voice said to her and Elsa had to narrow her gaze, as it was dark and she couldn't clearly see who exactly talked to her. "Thank you." She said to the man having a drink by the bar and walked closer.

_Oooh… Blessed me._  The man thought after seeing the beautiful woman approaching. He got up from his stool and tightened the tie around his neck, he then quickly fixed his not very abundant hair and just tried to look his best, but there wasn't much the dwarf could do for his humble self. His eyes went down and up on Elsa and then he was the one to sneeze.

"Ugh… Sorry." He blushed and Elsa smiled kindly. "Bless you." She said gently and both of them smiled. "I'm sorry, has the cold weather made you sick?" Elsa asked worriedly and with a hint of guilt.

"Not really, I just sneeze all the time. It's kind of my thing. I'm even named after it." The dwarf said with lightly flushed cheeks. "Name's Sneezy." He offered his hand to Elsa after wiping it clean. The blonde smiled warmly and gave him her hand; she expected him to kiss it respectfully, like they did in her old realm, but instead he shook it firmly in a friendly manner.  _That's new._ "I'm Elsa." She answered soon after.

"That's a lovely na- *achoo* - Sorry." The poor dwarf sneezed again and Elsa couldn't avoid chuckling lightly and tried to hide her giggle behind her hand. "You don't look like someone who would hang out in a bar like this." He looked again at her and her formal attire. "You look like someone who could run for Mayor, if there were ever elections." He told her. "And I would vote for you for sure!" He winked but it wasn't really making him look handsome.

_The Mayor._  Elsa sighed at hearing Regina's modern time noble title. "You flatter me, Mr. Sneezy, and you are quite right. I've come here because I found myself in the need of a job." She told him and looked at the surroundings. "Would you happen to know who the owner of this tavern is?" She asked.

"That would be Randy, but this is no place for you." He told her. Randy had a popularity of sorts with women but not because of his charms, but for the lack of. "Have you tried applying in Granny's?" He asked her.

"Not yet. I'm new in town and I don't remember where the diner is." Elsa answered and her brow furrowed. "So you have been there before. It's close by. If you want, I can take you there and maybe… maybe you could let me invite you a burger?" He offered shyly. "A burger?" Elsa asked with confusion because she didn't know what that was.

"Oh!"  _Could she be on a diet?_  He wondered. "Of course, it doesn't have to be a burger. Apple pie? Wait, not that. A sandwich, or maybe just coffee… Could it be a salad?" He nervously offered more choices and Elsa had a hard time trying to suppress her need to laugh, but it was the sound of Elsa's hungry stomach what made Sneezy smile now.

"So what do you say?" He asked her and Elsa's face turned bright red in embarrassment. "Apple pie sounds lovely." She smiled and followed behind the kind dwarf. "Sweet tooth, I like that!" He said cheerfully and Elsa chuckled.

When they got inside the diner, Ruby found it strange to see Elsa with the dwarf. They made quite an interesting couple and she had to bite her lip to avoid giggling at the funny image. Elsa was already a tall woman and with the heels she was wearing, Sneezy looked like a child beside her. "What should I get you?" The waitress asked them.

"Two apple pies, a cup of coffee and… What would you like to drink, Elsa? The dwarf asked. "Lemon tea would be perfect, thank you." She answered and Ruby took note to come back later with their order. After a couple of minutes with not much talk between them, Ruby appeared with the treats and they were happy to see the big slices of pie topped with cream.

"Cream?" Elsa didn't remember asking for the topping. "Just to make it more special." Ruby winked an eye and Elsa noticed the cream was put in the shape of a heart. "Enjoy your date!" The waitress said before leaving again and Sneezy sneezed nervously. "Date?" Elsa mumbled with confusion. "Ah! Ruby must have thought I'm courting you, Elsa. No, this is just a friendly hang out… but if you want it could be a date, or not. No. I… we came here for pie and a job." He was a nervous mess again.

Elsa placed a hand gently over one of the dwarf's and looked at him with kindness. "Sneezy, I already have someone special but I would love being your friend if you can accept that." The lady said kindly. "Phew!" Sneezy retrieved his hand to wipe his forehead with a handkerchief. "Friends would be great." He said honestly because dwarves weren't really made for dating and this lame attempt had reminded him how awkward it felt to interact with women this way.

"Thank you." Elsa smiled warmly and looked back to her apple pie with the creamy heart.  _Why does even this remind me of Regina?_ She sighed lightly and took a small bite from the dessert, despite how hungry she felt.  _Modals._ She had to remind herself.

After finishing their pies, Elsa asked Ruby about a job and the brunette was confused for a moment but decided to ask her grandmother anyway. "Sure. With all the new people that came in the last curse, we could use an extra pair of hands." Granny told them and Elsa was hired.

"You start at six sharp in the morning because we open at seven for breakfast." The old lady said firmly. "I promise I'll be punctual, Mrs…?" Elsa looked in question to the mature lady. "Just call me Granny." The woman told her. "Granny, I'm very grateful for your kindness." Elsa answered and Granny was surprised by her formality and good modals.

"Hopefully Ruby can learn more from you than you have to learn from her." Granny blurted and her granddaughter looked at her in question. "You come at six, too, Ruby. Someone's gotta teach the newbie." She said and Ruby glared. She preferred the late shift but now she had no choice but to return to her early schedule.  _*Sigh*_

* * *

The next morning, Elsa arrived in time just as promised and Ruby came a couple of minutes after, yawning in evident lack of sleep and somewhat annoyed by having to train the rookie. But Elsa learned quickly and she was surprisingly kind, in contrast to what Emma had told Ruby about her experience with the new resident in Storybrooke.

Growing up in a palace and having had maids by her service all her life, had taught Queen Elsa kindness and benevolence to those who lived to serve. She knew what was expected from them and now she would prove she could very well serve with the same pride and humbleness she had time ago experienced.  _Can't be too hard, right?_

The bell by the entrance sounded and both waitresses watched the door open and Emma come through. "I'll get this one." Ruby said to Elsa and the blonde went to stand behind the bar, looking from time to time at Emma. Though, Emma didn't recognize her immediately because of the white and red uniform, but after feeling her piercing stare, she had to look again and noticed the familiar platinum braid _. Is that Elsa?_ She was puzzled.

"Emma! I asked what you were having." Ruby spoke more loudly after Emma didn't answer the first and second time she asked her for her order. "Huh? Sorry. Can you give me Regina's usual?" Emma asked after turning to look at the brunette and Elsa's ears picked up on the name. "Why? You on a diet, plump cheeks?" Ruby chuckled. "No… I just want to do something different for a change." Emma grumbled.

"Hmm… You're never around here this early, which already speaks wonders, and you want something light... Is it breakfast in bed?" Ruby teased her. "I wish. No. I just…" Emma beckoned her friend to come closer to nearly whisper. "I want her to find it in her desk with a note and invite her for supper tonight." Emma shared in secret after noticing Elsa pretending to clean an already clean table close behind them.

"Wait. Wait. Wait." Ruby shook her head. "HER? Please explain. Last time I checked, Hook was a male." The werewolf was completely thrown off. "Hook? That's not working for me. Just give me my damn order and I'll explain later." Emma pointed with her eyebrow toward Elsa, who was paying too much attention at the pair of women.

"No! You're telling me now." Ruby moved her lips but used a lower volume to demand more information. "Nope." Emma shook her head and Ruby sighed. "Okay, but you will spare no details later!" The brunette warned her before going into the kitchen.

After some minutes, the wolf girl came back with her to-go package. "Un-sweetened dairy-free coffee and a veggie wrap to go." Ruby told her. "Doesn't sound fun or edible." Emma commented. "Just like the Mayor." Ruby teased and Emma's brow furrowed.

"You don't know her." She glared and Ruby narrowed her gaze on Emma; she then placed a hand on the other woman's shoulder with fake worry. "Has she ripped out your heart?" The brunette asked. "She wouldn't need to." Emma answered and turned on her heel to leave before getting asked any more questions.

Elsa had overheard and couldn't avoid feeling jealousy. She took a deep breath and tried to soothe it, as her workplace wouldn't be a place where to let her unstable magic manifest right on her first day. She sighed and watched as Emma made it through the door but then looked at the coffee in one of Emma's hands and knew Regina's lips would be sipping from that cup. "Maybe I could send her a little something, as well." She mumbled and brought her fingertips to her lips, she blew a kiss and a sparkly white light enchanted the cup's rim.

When Regina came into her office, she found a coffee cup over her desk, a small take-out box and a little note atop. "Yesterday wasn't what I had in mind. Would you let me make it up to you for the uncomfortable time? Clock tower at 8 p.m. Emma." The Mayor read from the post-it; she quirked her eyebrow in consideration and then tossed the piece of paper in her trashcan.

Regina opened the little box containing a veggie wrap and raised an eyebrow but a faint smile appeared in her lips. She went to sit down in her  _Storybrooke throne_  and then dialed the extension connecting her line to the Deputy's.

The old phone in Emma's desk started ringing and the blonde went to pick up the call. "Deputy, Emma Swan. How may I-" Emma began answering but a familiar smoky voice then came through her speaker. "To my office." Regina said shortly and hang up.

Emma immediately followed after Regina's command and knocked on the Mayor's door to enter. "Come in." Regina answered and Emma sauntered to her desk and looked at Regina with mixed confusion, nervousness and expectation.  _*gulp*_  "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes…" Regina took a bit of time to continue. "I already had breakfast, Ms. Swan." Regina pushed the little box further to the front on her desk and Emma's eyebrows went down in defeat. "But I appreciate the gesture and could use the coffee." She told her soon after noticing Emma's sad puppy semblance. "Thank you." She said with difficulty and stopped talking.

"No prob..." Emma noticed her note was no longer over the lid of the box. "Anything else you wanna tell me?" She asked while leaning down slowly to level her face with the Mayor's and looked for caramel eyes as she picked the little box from the desk.

"That's all, Deputy. You may go back to your duties." Regina dismissed her and Emma frowned. "Will I see you at eight?" Emma asked directly. "Thou shall find out in the evening, Savior." Regina avoided her gaze and Emma turned to leave with no answer. She rolled her eyes as she left the office and grumbled about Regina being so _Regina._

When Emma closed the door behind her, Regina turned to look at the cup of coffee and smiled. No one had ever had that kind of gesture with her before, out of honest interest and courting. "Lets see if you got it right, Emma." Regina mumbled and brought the cup to her mouth, but when her lips touched the rim; a white sparkling mist shimmered around her and she could almost swear it had felt like a kiss. The scent of mint mixed with chocolate then surprised her senses and she could only think about one person that moment.

"Elsa?" She whispered and brought her fingertips to her lips. She looked inside her cup for anything that could prove it was a message from the Queen of Arendelle, but she only found a thin black liquid that tasted like her usual un-sweetened black coffee and she sighed deeply. She then went into her restroom and poured the contents of her bitter cup into the sink. "Where have you gone to?" Regina wondered.

"The mirror!" Regina exclaimed.  _How didn't I think about using it before?_  She focused on the mirror in the restroom and it soon showed her the Queen of Arendelle, dressed up in white and red like the other waitresses in Granny's diner. "What the?" Regina felt puzzled but quickly realized Elsa was still adjusting to Storybrooke and she had no home, job or any family in this side of the world. "Where has she been spending her nights?" Regina felt worried.

There was a lot of paperwork waiting in Regina's desk after months of neglecting since before the last curse. When they left to search for Henry in Neverland, it all began piling up and never stopped. It didn't help either that returning to Storybrooke meant there had been a new villain, and administrative work was just overwhelming for Regina at this point.

She had no choice but to advance as much as she could and she would go look for her new friend when she had some more time later. Regina had decades of experience behind her and could indeed advance faster than what anyone else would dream of, but some things just required a double check and they drained her last bits of energy.  _A nap will do._

When it was time to pick up Henry, Emma came to ask Regina if she wanted her to do it but after not receiving an answer from the Mayor, she quietly peeked inside the office and saw Regina had fallen asleep on her couch. "I guess I'll pick him up and take him to my mother's." She mumbled and carefully closed the door without making any noise.

* * *

At Granny's, Elsa continued working hard and everyone who had been attended by her raved about the wonderful service she provided. She was beyond attentive and so graciously formal, it made them feel like royalty. The tips kept coming and, while they were still modest, they were higher than what any of the other waitresses made usually. Not even Ruby's charms earned her the extra dollars Elsa's humbleness gathered.

But all good things came to an end and it was time for Elsa to finish her prolonged shift and go home to rest. And when Granny called her to the small office behind the diner, Elsa feared she hadn't passed the test, even when she stayed longer than her shift required.

"I don't know who you were or what you did for a living before Storybrooke." Granny raised an eyebrow accusingly. "But I can clearly tell you served royalty." She said bluntly and then gave her the pay of the day plus tips. "You earned it." Granny told her. "Are you… dismissing me? Have I done something that displeased you, Ma'am?" Elsa asked worriedly. She wasn't used to the blunt way of speaking of the older woman and thought she was displeased by her performance.

"Nonsense, girl. You're the best I've had in decades. You're not going anywhere." The old lady told her and it made Elsa smile and blush lightly. "Get some rest and don't be late tomorrow. Don't think your pretty face will get you special treatment." The lady told her and Elsa vowed lightly. She removed her apron and then went outside to walk away from public sight so she could transport home with magic.

The clock in the tower showed it was ten minutes past five and there was a lot of people around the streets. It would be dinnertime soon and the small town seemed more active than ever at that hour. "Can't use my magic here." She mumbled and then realized something. "Olaf! I completely forgot." She jumped and started looking around for her dear friend.  _Where could he have gone?_

Elsa looked in the park but found no traces of her snowman. It also struck her to see the frozen lake had began melting and there wasn't much snow left around town in general.  _Could he have melted?_ She got worried and took on a faster step.

She looked in dark corners, as she had ordered him not to come to public display and keeping a low profile, but searching for him this way had made her peek inside lonely alleys and it was becoming unsettling as the sun continued going down. "Olaf?" Elsa asked after hearing some noises in a dark alley but when she came closer to the figure moving in the shadows, a big stray dog suddenly emerged from behind a trash bin and Elsa started running to escape it.

The dog kept following after her and their encounter finally ended when Regina watched the girl running in the street with a dog behind her. She pushed the breaks in her car abruptly before running her over and waved a hand to make the vicious dog turn into a white fuzzy puppy. She parked her car one block away from the clock tower and ran to Elsa's ais, who was now sitting by the sidewalk breathing agitatedly.

"Are you alright, Elsa?" Regina asked worriedly and helped her stand up. "I am now." The woman answered with relief while catching her breath. "It can't hurt you now." Regina smiled as she pointed to the small dog. "Thank you, Regina." Elsa said after hearing the puppy cry for their attention.

"He must have been hungry." Elsa commented and parted from Regina's almost embrace; she went to pick the puppy from the street and cuddled it on her lap. "Regina, could you please…?" Elsa didn't need to finish asking before Regina summoned a bowl with kibble for the puppy and Elsa smiled with gratitude. "Are you adopting him now?" Regina asked curiously. "Maybe... I just wanted to feed him." Elsa shrugged and put the puppy down so he could eat.

"Speaking of which. Why are you working at Granny's?" Regina asked her and it caught the Ice Queen by surprise. "How do you know?" Elsa asked in return but then remembered the magical message she sent in Emma's coffee.  _Of course she would know_. She became nervous.

"Elsa…" Was the only word from Regina. The brunette took a deep breath and sighed. She remembered the strange enchantment on the coffee cup she drank earlier and how much it reminded her of Elsa. "Have you been practicing magic?" Regina asked with curiosity as they went to sit on a bench. "No… Yes." Elsa mumbled and looked at her hands nervously.

Regina decided to break the sudden silence. "I went to the diner looking for you but they said you had already left and I figured if you wanted to talk about it, you would come on your own to share the news."

"I didn't want to disturb you. You're the Mayor and must have so much work in your office that it would seem selfish of me to demand from your time, just to speak about something so insignificant." Elsa turned up her gaze into the sky. "I got a job, it isn't that big of a deal."

"Except, it is. You're Queen but you're doing the work of a maid here." Regina's brow furrowed. "You should be doing what you were born to." The brunette mumbled and then had an idea. "Why don't you help me in the office? I have so much work I would need to split in two, just so I could catch up with a third of what is pending."

Elsa tore her gaze from the starry sky and looked into dark eyes apologetically. "I can't accept the offer but I thank you, Regina." Elsa answered calmly. "Why?" Regina was perplexed. "I like serving others in the way I once was served. There is an honor and humility to it and I gave my word I would be working tomorrow and the day after." The blonde smiled warmly and Regina felt something move inside her.

"Are you sure?" She asked bewildered and Elsa nodded lightly. "I am and I have pride in what I do." Blue-green eyes sat in brown for a moment. "This is a new beginning for me. No one fears me here and I like feeling welcomed by everyone. I hope you can understand." She smiled apologetically and Regina returned the gesture.

"Actually, I do." Regina told her and sighed deeply. "But, Elsa, where are you staying? Have you already found a place?" Regina remembered to ask. "I have." Elsa smiled gently and placed a hand over Regina's but then remembered overhearing Emma with Ruby earlier and she turned to look at the tower.

The clock on the tower showed it was soon going to be eight and Elsa noticed Emma's car coming from the opposite side of the street. "I should be going. It's late and I don't want to take more of your time." She smiled with a hint of sadness and got up from her seat. "See you tomorrow, Regina." She said and didn't give Regina time to react. A white powder of snow appeared and with it, Elsa's presence vanished.

Regina turned to look in the direction Elsa had been watching moments before leaving and noticed Emma getting out of her car and taking out a basket with things. "So that's why you disappeared." Regina mumbled and felt guilty.  _Emma or Elsa… Whom should she follow after?_  Regina was torn in between.

She went into her car for her cellphone and called the Deputy, who hadn't noticed the black Mercedes a block away.

"Hey." Emma answered with excitement upon noticing the name in the ID. "You coming?" She asked with hope. "Emma, I'm sorry but I can't make it." There was a long pause from both ends of the line. "I thought I should let you know." Regina apologized. "Okay. I understand." Emma took a deep breath. "I hadn't even gotten there yet, thanks for the heads up." She lied and it made Regina feel a bit bad because she could see her from her own car across.

Emma slammed the door on the bug with frustration and started the engine. She drove back to Mary Margaret's to pick up Henry and he would be helping her moving stuff into the new apartment. She was upset but understood Regina had had a long day, as she had seen her fall asleep in the office and the brunette even agreed to let Henry stay with her for the night.  _Maybe another time._

Regina waited for Emma to drive away and got lost in thought, but the cry of the puppy walking on the street recovered her attention. "Look what Elsa left behind." She smirked.  _This should count as property._  She thought and placed the locator spell on the puppy but she turned him back into an adult and followed with her car after the dog started running in direction of the forest.

* * *

Regina had to park when they got into forestland and looked up as the dog began hiking the mountain. "Where on earth has she hidden?" Regina complained and then caught sight of the thing reflecting light at the peak of the mountain. "No way." She mumbled but then used her magic to get closer.

She felt the chill of the snowy mountain quickly and summoned a thicker coat to protect her from the cold. She hiked the last distance to approach the ice palace and was astounded by the beautiful building the Queen of Arendelle had created.  _She doesn't know much about magic but can do this?_ Regina was greatly impressed.

Regina suddenly heard noise coming from behind her and she thought it was the dog that had finally made it up, but when she turned around, a gigantic fearsome snowman was rising from white ground. "No…" She mumbled and rolled over snow after evading his attack. Another big fist swung in the air and Regina threw a fireball ball at it this time. It made his arm melt but another quickly formed to replace it. "This isn't going to be easy."

"Psst, psst" A voice said quietly and Regina looked around her. "Over here." Another snowman said and Regina was baffled. "Quickly!" He beckoned and Regina ran inside a shallow cave to hide together with the smaller snowman. "He can't get here, too chubby." The snowman told her and Regina was very confused.

"Excuse me, who would you be?" The brunette asked. "Olaf. And you are…?" The little character moved his hand in a circle waiting for an answer. "Regina." She replied. "Oooooh… Regina!" He said exclaimed cheerfully.

"Do you know me?" She asked with curiosity. "I think so… Are you the mother with the special kid?" He asked her after remembering seeing her in the park. "Special kid? Well, I do have a son and he is very special to me, if that's what you mean." She told him. "Hmm… must have gotten it from the father." The snowman mumbled and Regina was unsure of what the figure was talking about.

The white fluffy dog finally showed up and ran inside the cave to escape the huge angry snowman as well. He became happy again after seeing Regina and went to lick her, but she stopped him with her hands. "Shoo! I never liked pets." She grumbled and summoned a bone to throw it to a corner and distract the dog with it.

"I need to get inside that palace. Which way should I go?" Regina asked Olaf. "No… You can't get near the castle unless Elsa allows it. Fat boy has a temper." He told her as he went to sit down in a rock and took one of his twig arms to poke the dog with curiosity. "And you? Does Elsa allow you access?" She asked him before he actually poked the animal. "Yes! I have privileges." He told her and smiled proudly, putting back his arm. "Could you get me inside?" Regina asked.

The snowman looked at her with suspicion and then looked outside the cave. "Hmm." He considered it and looked at Regina again. He suddenly felt a warm sensation in his snowy body and then realized the source of the pleasant warmth. "Ew! Yellow snow ain't cool, man." Olaf yelled at the dog the same words he had heard earlier in the park from naughty kids that were snowball battling.

"Okay, but you have to tell fluffy to leave me alone." Olaf told Regina after the dog started humping his leg. "Deal." Regina chuckled and waved a hand over the dog. She made it appear inside one of the crates in the pet shelter with papers and even a name so the volunteers would help him and put him in adoption, in case Elsa decided not to keep it.

Olaf then distracted the big angry snowman outside the cave and Regina could reach to the frozen stairs that lead into the palace. She felt nervous as she stepped over ice, but she held onto it with decision and continued climbing until she made it to the gate. She knocked a couple of times and when Elsa came to the door, expecting it would be Olaf, she had a big surprise.

"Regina?" The blonde couldn't believe it and watched her fearsome guardian running after Olaf in the distance. She waved a hand and made both turn back into lifeless snowmen for now and allowed Regina to enter her domain. Regina's eyes couldn't stop going from place to place, in similar fashion Elsa's had done in her own mansion. Everything was new and different, but still keeping some details resembled to their traditional castles.

"It's quite beautiful what you've created." Regina said to Elsa and made her smile. "It seems like I can do good things when I'm in control." She told the brunette and Regina nodded. "The weather is also changing and there haven't been storms anymore." The Mayor pointed out and Elsa felt prouder. She was finally getting hold of her emotions and magic.

"And here I thought I could teach you magic." Regina commented. "Oh! I would still much prefer if you taught me, Regina." Elsa beckoned the brunette to follow her upstairs and showed her an empty room. "This is were I've been practicing." She told her and Regina could notice some ice stalactites and furniture built out of ice, but which wasn't cold. It was more like crystal and the palace didn't feel cold at all, so she had to remove her coat and left it over a glass piano.

"I see and it is quite interesting. I never thought about using ice. Fire is more my thing." Regina told her and created a fireball in her hand. "See?" She told the blonde and Elsa came closer to look at it. "Does it burn?" She asked curiously. "The heat doesn't bother me, but it might bother you." Regina winked an eye and vanished the ball of fire before Elsa touched it. "No, it would burn you badly." She warned and Elsa nodded.

"Let me try." Elsa told her and Regina began speaking while walking around the blonde. "You have to focus your emotion in your hand and don't let your thoughts or fears get in the way of magic." She told her and stopped behind her. An orange ball of light began scintillating in Elsa's hand but it flickered blue and went back and forth between both colors. "Use your anger. Feel it but don't let it posses you." Regina guided but as the ball of energy grew, it went from ice to fire and so on.

Regina stepped even closer and pressed her body against Elsa's, she placed a hand on her waist and another on the arm with which Elsa was focusing her magic. "Ignite that fire and bend it to your heart's desire." Regina whispered behind her ear and it only made Elsa even more nervous with the proximity.

Regina's warm humid breath caressing her skin ignited a different fire inside her but it still had the desired effect, as a big fireball formed in Elsa's hand and stopped changing back and forth. "See, you did it." Regina said behind her and smirked with pride on her new apprentice and Elsa was impressed with herself, but still uneasy with Regina's proximity. It wasn't anger what ignited her fire and the flutter in her stomach made her acknowledge a different type of hunger.

Elsa turned around slowly to face her mentor and tried to stay as close as possible to Regina while doing so. She looked at crimson lips with desire and then up to meet the caramel gaze she couldn't get enough of.  _Could Regina have made her choice now?_ She wondered and felt hopeful because the brunette came after her, instead of meeting with Emma.

She waited for a long moment without asking with words the questions her own eyes were demanding from the Mayor to answer. Regina was uneasy just the same, as there would be no stepping back now if she moved farther and her own conflict revealed before green eyes and Elsa felt her heart sink a little inside her chest. She took a step back with deception but before she took another, Regina pulled her close and kissed plum lips with gentleness that soon turned into passion.

Their hearts were beating fast inside their chests and neither woman wanted to part from their lips. A white dust of snowflakes engulfed their bodies and transported them into the Queen's private bedchambers, where Elsa landed on her bed upon tripping with the rug beneath it. They both landed on the cushion and Regina smiled as she ended atop of the other woman. Their mouths had involuntarily parted and it was now their eyes what wouldn't leave each other's.

"Are you…" Regina was going to ask if she was sure about taking that step and Elsa quickly answered. "Yes." She told her and cupped Regina's face in her soft hands delicately. She gently pulled her closer and they kissed more slowly this time, indulging in each other's company and not rushing what would come naturally.

Regina parted from the kiss to gracefully remove her blazer and Elsa couldn't stop watching with attention. She bit her lip with lust, waiting for Regina to reveal more skin, and felt her blood simmer inside her veins when the brunette did just what she wanted. Regina slowly unbuttoned her purple silk blouse and let it drop by the foot of the Queen's bed.

Elsa brought her mouth to Regina's neck and gently rolled her lips down the middle of chest, kissing delicate skin and black lace of Regina's elegant bra. Her fingers moved behind Regina's back and went to the clasp holding the garment together, but Regina gently pushed her down in bed again and prevented her from unclasping the clip.

"Your turn." She told her in a whisper and Elsa's cheeks turned even redder.

Elsa froze in her place for a moment, nervous to continue, and Regina took the lead again. She gently unbuttoned Elsa's white shirt and opened it to reveal a tan brassiere. Elsa had a significantly bigger chest and Regina smiled with satisfaction. "You are the most beautiful woman in all the realms." The brunette whispered before leaning down to kiss her warm neck.

It had been quite a long time since she had the pleasure of having a female lover and it wasn't something Regina did as often in her past life as Queen in the Enchanted Forest. In fact, she'd only had one maiden who had been a loyal servant and completely devoted and infatuated with her, when she was trapped in Leopold's castle and found new excitement in the thrill of getting caught by the King with maid Sophia.

There was certain darkness when it came to taking women for Regina and she had always enjoyed being in the top position when it came to luring prey into her bedroom. But she hadn't had a woman in all her time in Storybrooke and this slip of passion reminded her how much she'd missed this. It was a carnal need what she was experiencing this moment.

Elsa felt that strange flutter again, but this time somewhere below her stomach and precisely in between her legs. She moaned shyly when Regina licked her neck and the brunette felt pride in her latent skill. _I haven't lost my touch._ She mentally praised herself.

The brunette continued advancing down Elsa's torso and a flick of her hand made the rest of the younger woman's clothes disappear behind a trail of smoke. Elsa felt scared for a moment when she saw the rakish look in Regina's face, but it also made her all the more willing to have her take her in any way the dark mistress desired.

"Please, take me." Elsa's raw voice echoed in the moonlit bedroom and Regina licked her own lips with desire.

"As you wish." The mature woman responded and continued moving down the last distance needed to reach that sultry place she had missed savoring for the longest.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Painful Swan Queen

The first rays of sunlight started filtering through glass into the Queen's bedchambers and Elsa lazily opened her eyes after feeling something rather unusual. The gentle touch of soft fingers brushing hair away from her face was a completely new experience and she became startled for a moment. Her sight was a little blurry and it took her a minute to focus on the person hovering slightly above her.

"Good morning." Regina said softly, her voice a little lower and deeper than the usual. Elsa's cheeks turned a rosy pink hue and nervously replied. "Morning, Regina."

Caramel eyes continued looking with warmth over her delicate features and Elsa blushed even redder when she noticed her blankets had slipped down a little and exposed more of her torso than she intended at that moment and she pulled up the covers to hide her nudity.

"Why do you hide?" Regina smiled warmly. "You're quite beautiful and it shouldn't embarrass you. Besides, it isn't the first time I enjoy the view of your body." The brunette smirked and reminded Elsa about the incident in her bathroom. "It… It was different." Elsa averted her eyes; she looked in direction of her balcony and noticed the sun rising outside.

"What time is it?!" She asked Regina abruptly. "Almost six in the morning." Regina answered after picking her cellphone from the nightstand to check the clock. "Why are you so flustered?" The Mayor asked after noticing the change in Elsa's demeanor. "I will be late!" Elsa responded and got up from bed, not caring any longer about her nudeness and Regina grinned as she indulged in the full image.

Elsa tried using her magic to change into her waitress uniform and make her appearance freshened, but given the amount of worry and nervousness she was feeling, all she could manage to summon was the skirt and a half apron. "I must say I quite like your new uniform. But. I don't think Granny would approve of it." Regina teased her and summoned a mirror where Elsa could look at herself.

"Oh my!" The blonde exclaimed. "Please help me!" Elsa turned shyly to face Regina, who had by now summoned back her own clothing from the previous night and was standing close to the sensual hourglass bodied lady. "Of course." Regina chuckled and waved her hand and, as quick as purple smoke came and went, it revealed a neatly dressed waitress.

"Thank you!" Elsa wrapped her arms around Regina and squeezed her in an embrace, what caught the Mayor off guard and made her frown a little at the childish behavior she had not seen before from Elsa. "Never mind it." Regina uttered and Elsa withdrew. "Uh, sorry." The blonde brought her hands to her skirt and smoothed the fabric nervously.

Regina cleared her throat and looked at Elsa with warmer eyes now. "Can you make it in one piece to the diner, or should I help you?" She asked her tentatively and Elsa wondered for a moment. She was no longer a nervous mess but spending a little more time with Regina would be wonderful. "I'm not sure." Elsa innocently fluttered her eyelashes and Regina offered her arm gently. "Allow me." The brunette said gallantly and Elsa felt victorious. She clung to Regina's arm and purple smoke engulfed their bodies.  _Maybe I should pretend being a damsel in distress more often._  The platinum blonde thought.

They appeared in front of the diner and Ruby was surprised when she saw purple smoke reveal not only Regina but also Elsa at the foot of the stairs. The werewolf had arrived just a couple of minutes earlier to open in time and she had to look through the blinds one more time to make sure it had been the Mayor who brought the new waitress to work.  _What could they be doing together so early in the morning?_  She wondered and then a naughty idea struck her. "Ooh la la!" She uttered.  _Did I just sniff Regina's scent all over Elsa?_ She was amused.

Regina noticed Ruby's presence close to the windows and when Elsa tried to get closer to kiss her, the Mayor gently stepped back. A light movement that didn't go unnoticed and Regina just said she would come later to have breakfast. Elsa felt a tug in her chest but understood Regina might not be ready yet to display affection in public, so she bit her lip and just waved a hand behind her. "Have a good day." The younger woman said and Regina smiled at her. "I will see you later."

After entering the diner, Elsa looked up at Ruby and averted her eyes from the brunette's, for she was looking at her with smugness and had a wide grin in her mouth in playful mocking. "Elsa…" Ruby wrapped an arm around her to get closer and make sure her nose wasn't lying. "How does one  _afford_  a  _magical ride_ from  _the Mayor_  to work? You have to share the secret, gurl!" Ruby winked and Elsa felt her face turn red.

"I don't know what you mean, Ruby." Elsa replied and tried to focus her sight on the coffee maker. "I should get the coffee started." She moved past the brunette and quickly retrieved the carafe and went into the kitchen. "Bummer." Ruby muttered. She knew it wouldn't be easy to get anything out of the newbie, which reminded her she still had a talk pending with her friend Emma.

Regina went to the Mansion soon after delivering Elsa by Granny's door. She appeared in her bedroom and went to turn on the water to fill her tub in the bathroom. She would be enjoying a soothing hot bath while replaying the vivid images of last night.

"I needed that." She mumbled and dipped entirely in the tub. She relaxed in her bath for a good while and eventually lost track of time. She was starting to doze off when she remembered it wasn't weekend yet and she had to get to the station.

Regina was patting her hair dry when realization struck her. Elsa had shared her body for the first time with anyone and would most likely expect from that person to become her life partner. The young queen was still new to how things worked in this world and her old customs would have her waiting for Regina to formalize their union.  _What did I get myself into?_  She sighed deeply and continued dressing up for the day.

Regina swallowed on her saliva and felt nervous because, while she  _really_ liked the Queen of Arendelle, she still had mixed feelings about Emma and had been a little selfish the previous night when she was offered such a splendid invitation into the younger woman's bedroom.  _But how could she reject her, when she looked so hopeful, not to mention how strikingly beautiful?_ Regina tried to find an ostensible reason but she had more or less taken advantage of Elsa's devotion to breathe new air.

* * *

At Granny's, Grumpy was the first client to arrive and Elsa went to take his order. "Scrambled eggs with extra bacon, sunshine." The dwarf told her and winked. "Right away, sir." Elsa curtsied lightly and went into the kitchen to tell the cooker, but Granny took the order instead and made it herself, as she knew better than anyone how that grumpy dwarf liked his breakfast.

A couple of hours had passed and few customers had come and gone. The morning wasn't all that hectic and Elsa was feeling slightly bored but continued finding things to clean in order to avoid a certain person, as Ruby had already tried a handful of times to pick up on the subject of her relationship with Regina. She kept asking if it went all the way back before the first curse, or maybe even before Regina became the Evil Queen, but Elsa just gave her vague answers and finally said she knew Regina from her marriage with King Leopold.

Elsa came up with a story of meeting the Queen in Leopold's castle. "I was daughter of one of the maids assigned for her. She was kind to me." The waitress told her first lie and actually got away with it. Ruby believed her story and thought it would do for now. It explained why she was so good at serving their customers and why Regina seemed to be  _really_  fond of her. It had been strange for everyone to see Regina acting so friendly with the new denizen, or anyone, and now the werewolf had a logic answer to spread in town like butter on bread.

In the streets, Emma had been on patrol since early in the morning, even though she hadn't had that much sleep after getting stood up by the Mayor. In an attempt to distract herself from the hurtful rejection, she focused her energy on moving the remaining of her belongings to the new apartment with Henry's help, but there they received an inevitable visitor. Hook showed up by her door carrying a bag with burgers for the three of them and Emma felt obligated to let him come in and share supper together.

She had been avoiding him for almost an entire week and it would soon be time to face him with the truth, but that would have to wait for an occasion where Henry wasn't involved. After the teenager retreated to his own little room feeling exhausted, Emma quickly made it known it was time for sleep and nearly pushed the pirate out of her door.

By now, he was sure she was hiding something and he knew better than to confront her but with Henry in the other room, he knew it would be a peaceful confrontation and decided to ask just the simplest of questions that would give him the right answer.

"Was that kiss  _also_  a  _one time_ thing?" He turned around and slipped his foot to stop the door from closing, recalling what Emma had told him the first time they locked lips in Neverland. "What?" Emma blinked in surprise.

"Outside Granny's. After our return." He reminded her, brow furrowing in lack of patience. "I'm tired, Hook. We'll talk about it later." She avoided. "It's just a yes or no, Swan. I won't insist. Not anymore." He told her with an unfamiliar glint in his eyes she hadn't seen before.

"Yeah. Sorry." Emma averted her eyes and looked to the floor. "Well then, Swan." He responded and finally left, never to return again.

Emma was remembering the small confrontation when she suddenly caught sight of a peculiar black Mercedes at a side of the road, close to the forest. She parked her unit behind the car and went to see if Regina was inside but she didn't see the Mayor and wondered what could she possibly be doing so early in the morning in a place as isolated as this.

The Deputy felt a strange twist in her stomach and grew worried for Regina's well being. She looked around the area for half an hour but after not receiving an answer from Regina's cellphone, or seeing any signs of the Mayor, she decided to try with Regina's home line.

Regina had just finished dressing and looked as polished and elegant as she always did, when her phone began ringing by the nightstand. She gently picked up the vintage looking thing and greeted whoever was disrupting her own trance. "Mills residence, Regina speaking."

"Regina! Thank God you're there. Are you alright?" Emma asked with worry and Regina was pretty confused with the question. "Why wouldn't I be, Ms. Swan? Is there… anything in particular you need to discuss that can't wait until I make it to the station?" The Mayor asked dryly but with some curiosity.  _Why would Emma be so worried about her?_  It was a strange sensation.

"Yeah, that's why I call. How do you plan getting to the station? I found your car on the side of a road near the forest." Emma heavily exhaled. "Anything I need to know?" The deputy inquired while kicking a small rock with her boot.

"Oh." Regina answered with surprise and guilt but didn't continue. " _Oh_ \- What does that mean?" Emma's brow furrowed. "I'll be there in a moment, Miss Swan. Thank you for letting me know." Regina replied and quickly hang up and Emma's frown went even further.

" _Oh?_ " The blonde huffed as she leant against the black Mercedes and then noticed purple smoke that could only mean Regina's arrival.  _Of course magic could always transport her._ She rolled her eyes. "So?" Emma locked eyes on Regina.

"I already thanked you, don't make me repeat it." Regina glared as she opened the driver's door to get in and avoid the interrogation, but Emma only got more irritated by her avoidance and pushed the door closed again and approached the other woman.

"Why did you chicken out last minute?" The blonde confronted her about the date that didn't happen. "I did not  _chicken_   _out_ , Miss Swan." Regina chuckled with sarcasm and held the other woman's stern stare. "I got caught up with… work and I… certainly do  _not_  have to excuse myself with you." Regina changed the course of her lines again. She didn't want to walk into dangerous territory. "Right." Emma stepped impossibly closer and looked into Regina's eyes intently, searching for something she must be missing.

Regina felt uneasy with the closeness and holding Emma's stare was becoming a real challenge. "Your superpower will get you nothing." Regina muttered and Emma's strong stare quickly turned softer. It wasn't a deceiving look the one in green eyes any longer… it was completely different.

 _What do you want from me?_ Regina wondered and averted her eyes. She knew exactly what Emma wanted and a part of her still felt that pull toward the former Sheriff. "You're wasting my time. I should be in my office by now." The brunette grumbled and nervously took a step away to try reaching for her car's door handle.

"Chicken." Emma blurted semi-playfully. "Pardon?" Regina tilted her head and narrowed her gaze. "What you heard." Emma folded her arms over her chest and sneered. "How mature of you." Regina muttered and opened her door. "There you go, running away again." The deputy's voice whispered in just the right volume for the Mayor to hear it.

"I'm not a  _chicken_  and I certainly am _not_  running away from anything." Regina twitched her lip. "Unlike yourself, I  _do_  have work to do, Miss Swan." Regina snapped and finished entering her car. She started the engine and steered away as fast as she possibly could.

"That's over the speed limits." Emma mumbled to herself as she got in her unit. "That calls for a ticket." She said as she gained speed in her own automobile to come closer to the black Mercedes. She started the sirens and ordered through the speaker for the Mayor to steer to the side of the road again.

Regina pulled over and turned down her window to meet Emma's hideous sight once again with anger. "What now?" The brunette muttered. "Madam Mayor, you went over the speed limit. I'm afraid I will have to give you a ticket and I have to test you for alcohol levels." The blonde grinned proudly and Regina felt like punching her toothless as she stepped out of the car to face her.

"If this is your idea of a joke, you're a terrible comedian." Regina muttered. "I just want to know the truth, Regina. Why didn't you really come? I feel this… whatever is between us is not stopping. It never could. Why do we continue fighting? You know now how I feel and I thought I knew the way you felt about me." Emma sighed deeply.

"Unlike you, I can't just let go, Emma." Regina took a deep breath. "It has been too much and I can't just forget and pretend nothing ever happened."

"I didn't know then." Emma replied somberly. "But I'm doing things right this time to earn you back. Of course, that's only if there  _truly_  is still a chance for us. Tell me, is there?" Emma asked openly. She wasn't one to hit around bushes and she wasn't sure she would be able to endure moving a step forward, just to be pushed three back when Regina got vulnerable around her.

Regina looked into clouded green eyes and felt her own glaze like Emma's. This was it, no more evading. "You know, if only you had ever recognized my work in the upbringing of Henry; the only thing I ever got right. The wonderful year full of MY memories with him as a little child, I would have overlooked your other slips. Robin, Hook, you wanting to take Henry back…" Regina stopped as her voice broke and Emma realized how much she had wronged her. "Did it ever occur to ask if I would join you in New York? You never even considered my say in the matter at all."

"I wouldn't give myself a chance either." Emma mumbled. "I… I was so absorbed in my self-pity that I never took the time to look at what I was doing to you." Emma's tears trickled down. "I will never deserve you and yet I was so hopeful." The woman stopped to breathe because she was almost chocking on every word.

"Emma…" Regina uttered and almost reached out to touch her but retrieved her hand before coming to contact. It would be too painful, their baggage was just too heavy to set aside and pretend all their mishaps had never happened. Regina had indirectly ruined Emma's childhood and Emma had almost ruined Regina's relationship with their son, but what she did break beyond repair was their own possibility at happiness together. "Sometimes a simple thank you is what keeps you from a happy ending." Regina said bitterly. "But it is too late now." She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

Emma's bottom lip quivered as she tried to suppress a sob and felt her heart break into a million pieces at the sound of the last sentence. There was no longer hope for her with Regina. She had to stop trying and face her loss. "Regina…" Emma said softly as she looked deep into brown orbs. "Yes?" Regina asked with confusion, her own heart already shredded.

Emma stepped closer and closed the distance between them, gently bringing her hands to cup the brunette's face with sad tenderness as tears continued pouring from emerald eyes. Regina felt alarmed for a moment but she didn't really want to stop her from coming much closer. Whatever Emma had in mind, she wouldn't push her away like she had promised. Dark eyes looked with both doubt and expectation at the blonde's movements and the Mayor waited patiently for Emma to finish what she'd started. It was time to close a chapter and allow a new one to start writing.

"I…" Emma said in a whisper as she began leaning forward slowly, observing Regina's response to know if she had to stop or could continue. She brought her face much closer and her eyes looked at red tinted lips with painful yearning. "You…?" Regina asked curiously and her own sight inspected rosy lips with longing. "Need this to… carry on." Emma answered and her lips brushed ever so lightly over Regina's, still cautious in case the brunette decided to retreat. But Regina didn't pull away, instead; her own lips parted lightly to lock with Emma's in a subtle kiss filled with emotion.

As tears continued falling like dead leaves in autumn, their lips continued dancing in sad rhythm with their hearts breaking. Regina's hands wrapped gently in Emma's neck as they kissed and they slowly pulled away when pain was just too much to bear. They rested their foreheads together for a minute and it was incredibly difficult to break contact with one another. When they allowed distance to set between them, they said their final words as impossible lovers.

"I will never be able to love again. Not the way I love you." Emma said with sorrow. "Emma, don't say that. We can all love again." Regina told her in similar way Daniel had told her the last time she saw him, and it felt odd for her to be the one comforting Emma this moment. "Sorry. I just… I can't hold myself together right now." Emma told her and wrapped her arms around her torso to control her own quivering. She looked up into the sky and a few droplets of water landed on her face; it seemed as if even the sky was crying together with her.

It wasn't any easier for Regina, but she had more practice with covering her feelings and keeping her composure, so she slipped back inside the car and spared a last glance through her mirror to see Emma weeping in the background. And it downed on her, it was their last kiss. Their love had been a rose plucked too soon, never allowed to bloom.  _Good-bye, Emma._  Regina said for herself as she drove off in the rain and locked herself in the office hoping she could drown in papers.


	9. Chapter 9

It hadn't been long since Regina got into her office and it already suffocated her being there. She couldn't focus on her work after the depressing reunion with Emma and the usually self-controlled woman couldn't stop her tears from falling. They just didn't seem to listen to her orders and her mind wouldn't stop replaying the final kiss that closed her circle of torment with the Savior.

"You are so stupid." Regina mumbled thinking about her. "I gave you all the signs." She exhaled and grabbed her coffee mug but when she looked inside, she noticed it had run out of the dark liquid and immediately remembered she had promised to have breakfast at Granny's to see Elsa.

A small smile appeared in her lips for the first time in an hour of silent weeping and she got up from her desk to walk to the mirror and have a look at herself. She put new make-up on and smoothed out the fabric of her black suit, and finally wrapped a purple trench coat around her frame before going outside, as it was still raining lightly.

The last thing she wanted was to worry Elsa with her defeated appearance, or make her more upset after having avoided her attempt to kiss her in the diner earlier. "No." Regina uttered. She definitely wouldn't do to Elsa what Emma had done to her. She wouldn't ignore again her displays of affection, even if it meant finally coming out in public and facing the reaction of her denizens.

She looked for her purse and pulled out the keys of her Mercedes, then looked for her iPhone to check at the hour but she couldn't find it. "Maybe I left it home." She mumbled and paid it no mind. It would still be there when she came back.

Regina made a first stop by Moe French's flower shop to buy the perfect blossom that would apologize her to the Queen of Arendelle. A special winter iris caught her eye for its color; a rich indigo, neither blue nor purple. It represented the both of them.  _Perfect._

"Would you like the bouquet, or just a single flower, Madam Mayor?" Belle's father asked her politely.  _Good question._  Regina considered both options. If she picked the bouquet, the statement would be quite obvious and in Granny's diner, the gossip would spread like the plague and she didn't want things to happen too fast or run out of hand.

"I'll take a single one." Regina told him and then asked him to wrap a white ribbon around the stem and finish it with a small elegant bow under the petals. She paid for the flower and made it to the car to finally arrive in Granny's and offer her apologetic flower for having hurt Elsa's feelings unintentionally.

When Regina entered the diner, Elsa's eyes immediately lit up. She was starting to believe she wouldn't see her for the rest of the day and she was very glad to be proven wrong. The Mayor smiled gently at the waitress as she came closer and before Elsa could offer a seat to her, Regina pulled from behind her the arrangement and offered it to the younger woman.

"Is that for… me?" Elsa asked doubtfully. "Of course, dear. There's no one else I could be interested in." Regina answered formally and the waitress picked her flower from the Mayor's hand blushing lightly but feeling really happy for the gesture. She sniffed at the flower's perfume and smiled openly at the pleasant aroma. "Thank you."

There weren't many clients and Regina felt a little bit relieved because no one had actually paid attention to them, as they were indulging in their meals. The only person looking awe-struck at the couple was Ruby and Regina had to comment on it. "I can see your cavities from here, Miss Lucas." Regina said non-gallantly and the werewolf closed her mouth quickly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to stare." The wolf-girl replied and turned around to mind her own business.

"Miss Lucas." Regina called before the girl disappeared behind the kitchen door. "Yes?" Ruby turned around again. "I heard Elsa worked extra hours yesterday. Would it be so much of a problem if she finished her shift earlier today?" Regina strutted to the bar and Ruby got nervous for a moment and hesitated to answer. They had paid Elsa for the extra hours, so there really was no obligation to comply, but this was the Mayor asking and you wouldn't want to upset Regina Mills.

"Regina, my shift is over in a couple of hours. I will find you in the office after I'm done." Elsa stepped in and squeezed Regina's arm gently. Regina looked at Elsa, then eyed Ruby and glanced around the nearly empty establishment. "It doesn't look like it's peak hour. I'm sure _Granny_  wouldn't mind letting Elsa out a little early." Regina said dangerously calmly and Ruby gulped.

"Just take the girl and don't make her be late tomorrow." Granny showed up in the window to the kitchen. "I may be old but I've still got a good ear, Ma'am." The grey-haired lady said to Regina non-politely. "Thank you." Regina replied dryly and opened the door for Elsa to leave together.

"You don't wanna mess with the lesbos, and certainly not with the top." Granny said to Ruby and her granddaughter was shocked for a moment.  _Did I just hear that?_  The brunette wondered. "What?" Granny blurted after reading her expression. "Nothing." Ruby replied and went to clean a table that had just cleared.

* * *

Emma had gone back to where she'd found Regina's car to have another look. Something still was off and she needed to occupy herself with something, anything at all, that could distract her from the sorrow of her heartbreak. After finally managing to stop crying, and the rain became much lighter, she resumed the search around the area and noticed some indentations in the ground now filled with water, near to where the tires of Regina's car had been parked.

They looked like prints of what seemed like paws and heels. She tracked the footprints for some meters and then noticed the shoe marks disappear but the dog's paws continued to hike up the mountain. Emma was still in pretty good shape and so she decided to venture in the path this mysterious animal had drawn with his feet.

* * *

"Let me treat you to a real restaurant." Regina said to Elsa once inside her vehicle. She drove past the town line, as it was no longer dangerous to leave the land, and told her they would visit a nearby city for that purpose.

She shared she had once had an unforgettable meal in a restaurant she visited when she was driving her way back from Boston after the adoption of Henry. "The first time I ventured out of Storybrooke in search of a glimpse of happiness." Regina smiled warmly and Elsa felt even more empathy for her.

Elsa was very excited to see more of what this world offered and the idea of traveling with Regina was completely amazing. She kept smiling through the short journey and Regina couldn't help but feel infected by her cheerful spirit and smiled all the way to Waterville, Maine.

It was roughly a two-hour drive when they arrived and Regina could hardly remember the place. It was somewhat different from her last visit, but that was to be understood since it had been a good thirteen years and she had only stopped by to fill both her car's tank, as well as her empty stomach. "I wonder if it even is still open." Regina mumbled as she drove down Silver Street.

"It still exists." Regina was surprised and Elsa read the signs of the businesses to the side. "Cancun Mexican Restaurant or The Last Unicorn?" She asked but the answer was obvious. "The Last Unicorn. I chose to come here when I asked in the gas station about a decent restaurant and that particular name caught me. The irony was too grand to let pass." Regina smiled lightly and parked. "They had a wonderful green salad dressing; I believe it was called goddess. I think you will like it."

They entered the restaurant and chose to eat inside, instead of the deck, and the waiter quickly emerged to guide them to their table. Regina chose from the menu for them because Elsa really had no idea what some of the things were and she trusted in Regina's taste to make the best decisions for their lunch.

"Well, it wasn't breakfast but I hope you're not disappointed." Regina asked the younger lady and Elsa smiled warmly. "This is perfect and I absolutely adored the cheese dip." Elsa admitted. "What about the salad?" Regina asked curiously. "It was delicious, too, but I kind of enjoy the things one shouldn't usually indulge in." The blonde admitted with shy guilt. "I won't tell your secret if you keep mine…" Regina leaned closer. "I also prefer the cheese dip over the salad." Regina chuckled. It was easier for some reason to act more loosely when she wasn't in her own town. It felt like breathing fresh air for the first time in a decade.

* * *

It took Emma a couple of hours to finally come to a clear and from there she could distinguish a strange crystal building near the peak of the mountain, where snow was already melting with the returning warmth of the ever-changing weather. "Is this… what I think it is?" She mumbled and moved faster in direction of that place.

The deputy noticed a huge snowman and a smaller one slowly melting by the foot of the palace and gathered the needed courage to get on translucent steps of what looked like a staircase made out of ice. She heard a small crackling sound and looked down but the staircase was strong and it could hold her weight. She carefully made it to the other side and finally pushed the gate open to enter the incredible citadel.

She looked all around her in awe and was impressed by the beauty of Elsa's creation. It was almost like the castle in the animated movie, but with less snowflakes and more warmth. In fact, it wasn't cold at all and Emma started sweating inside her thick brown jacket.

She walked up the long spiral stairs and finally came to a room that seemed like what would be the royal bedchambers. There was a tall chimney made of white marble with light grey veins, faced by an elegant silver silk divan and loveseat, and a big white and blue canopy bed with gold accents lay near the balcony. "Someone forgot to do her fancy bed." Emma mumbled as she approached and looked around in search of something she didn't know she was looking for.

A familiar sound called her attention and she retrieved her iPhone to check if she had a missed call. She had received a text from the Mayor an hour earlier but she didn't notice because she was too concentrated in her mountain hike. "Could you please pick up Henry? I can't make it in time today. Thank you." The message was to the point but it still made Emma's pulse accelerate upon reading the sender's name.  _So this is how divorce feels like._  She sighed.

A strange noise started sounding once more and Emma looked at her phone again, but it wasn't the source this time. She looked around and finally found the origin of the commotion; another iPhone vibrating on a nightstand. She went to look at the caller in the screen and it showed it was Henry.  _Regina's cellphone._  Emma realized. "Caught up with work, huh." She half-heartedly smiled and left the gadget where she found it.

Emma called Henry to ask how he was doing and he asked his birthmother why hadn't anyone picked him yet from school. It was half an hour late and Emma hadn't realized she'd spent all day in the woods. "I will call David and ask him to pick you up and I will get you at Mary Margaret's." She told him and explained she was too far to pick him herself and Regina was busy at work.

"Work…" Emma grumbled. There was a big tall mirror oddly standing in the center of the room and Emma went to give it a look. She closed her eyes and focused her mind and then opened them again to meet the image of  _betrayal:_  Regina smiling with Elsa in some restaurant she had never seen in Storybrooke.  _Where is that?_  She wondered and focused on a small logo sticking up from where the napkins were being held. "The Last Unicorn." She googled from her phone. "Waterville? What the hell!"

She had been sad before but now she was impossibly pissed off. She knew she had no right over Regina but she still felt  _cheated on_. She had to take a deep breath to calm down and she finally understood how Regina must have felt about her and Hook. And Emma had been hanging out with the pirate for quite some time, though not as a couple, but it really seemed like that ever since Neverland. "Argh!" She growled and left the place. _Enough torture for a day._

* * *

Regina and Elsa left the restaurant and the brunette decided to visit a park and have a small walk to relax and stretch her legs before having to drive back home again. The weather there was warmer than the strange one they had been having in Storybrooke lately and they had an ice cream by the shadow of a tree.

Elsa leant onto Regina's side and smiled contently; it was her first date ever and she had never been given the opportunity to enjoy a sunny day like this in her tormenting life in Arendelle. This was by far the happiest day in her life and she started wondering if she was dreaming. "It's not a dream, Elsa, this is very real." Regina told her and intertwined her fingers with hers. "But I do admit it is hard to believe, even I am having difficulty." The Mayor smiled and Elsa did too.

They locked gazes for a moment and their bodies felt a magnetic pull toward each other. Regina slowly got closer and Elsa followed just like her and they didn't break eye contact until the touch of soft lips made them close their eyes to share an innocent kiss like teenage lovers. It was somewhat funny for Regina, feeling so youthful again, and with every kiss her troubles seemed to slip away. If she had been upset in the morning, she couldn't remember this moment.  _This is how a good relationship must feel like._ The brunette thought.

"So…" Elsa mumbled after breaking their kiss and Regina looked at her with curiosity. "Does this mean we… you… me…" The blonde couldn't bring herself to complete the question. "Oh, right." Regina realized what Elsa intended to ask. The Mayor cleared her throat and decided to ask a question she never imagined herself asking.

"Would you like to be my girlfriend?" Regina took both of Elsa's hands and smiled gently. It felt somewhat funny to be asking that question, as she had never thought she would find herself in that position, but it wasn't unpleasant either. It was just something new, something she had longed for in silence. Perhaps her happy ending wasn't impossible in the end.

Elsa smiled widely and nodded, though, being completely honest, she was hoping to hear wedding bells and see a ring on her finger but that could wait. "What do you think?" She answered and tugged on Regina's blazer to pull her into a less innocent kiss. It surprised Regina but she liked the passionate response she got and returned the kiss with just as much spice. A hand went to Elsa's thigh, whilst another one went to her hair and the Mayor soon found herself atop of the waitress making out in the grass.

_Strange, how relationships develop in the new world._  Elsa thought because she had slept with Regina before even making their relationship official and right now she wasn't ashamed of being making out in a public place with the sexy brunette.  _I regret nothing._ She chuckled and Regina was confused for a moment and wondered what was going on inside that head.

After their heated kiss ended, Regina took a deep breath and looked at the sky loosing light slowly. "It's time to go. I would like for Henry to spend the night home and we must arrive in Storybrooke before the sun sets." Regina got up and offered a hand to help Elsa. "Yes, of course." The younger woman smiled and walked hand in hand in direction of Regina's car.

Once back in their hometown, Regina looked for her cellphone everywhere in her mansion but she couldn't find it. She had tried calling herself from her landline but there was no ringtone to be heard and Elsa came to join her in the living room after some minutes. "It wasn't in the studio either." The blonde told her and Regina exhaled.

"Thank you, dear. It doesn't matter. I just called the station and asked  _Idiot#1_  to let Emma Swan know I wish for Henry to spend the weekend home." She said as she poured two glasses of wine and sat in the elegant couch. She patted the spot beside her and beckoned for Elsa to join. "Idiot number 1?" Elsa asked with curiosity as she sat down. "Yes. David, the shepherd and sheriff." Regina chuckled and took a sip from her glass.

"If you hadn't called him an idiot, I could almost swear you sounded fond of him." Elsa pointed out and smiled. "Please… He is too  _Charming_  for my taste." Regina twitched her lip and Elsa found her reaction amusing. "If charming isn't your thing, could you tell me what is? Because I would love to know what you see in me." Elsa intended to ask lightly but the way it came out, it revealed more than what she expected and Regina gulped on her wine.

She cleared her throat and then tried to be playful for a change, since it was a straight up question and she wasn't sure yet if she actually had a proper answer. "Apart from the amazing way that you kiss when you let go?" Regina teased and put her glass over the coffee table but noticed Elsa wasn't really amused any longer and it reminded her of her own moment with Robin and his similar, though less graceful, answer.

Regina took a deep breath and then the right answer revealed itself. "What I see in you is a breeze of change. The fresh air I didn't know I was missing, until I realized I could breathe again."

Elsa's eyes welled up with emotion and she placed a hand on Regina's thigh gently as she leaned to her side. Regina followed after her motion and also leaned to meet plum lips with cherry in a loving kiss. She felt a strange chill as they kissed, loyalty downing on her, and she slowly opened her eyes to look at the partner she was freely committing to for the first time after Daniel. There was no pixie-dust and certainly no Cora. This was her choice.

The doorbell rang and they had to part from their intimate kiss. "That must be Henry." Regina said and went to open the door, lipstick slightly smeared. But it wasn't Henry whom she greeted with a smile at her door, a smile that quickly faded away when brown orbs looked into green. "Miss Swan… Where's my son?" She asked with confusion and cleaned her lips after noticing Emma's inspection on them and her scowl.

"He is home." Emma said harshly. "What are you talking about?" Regina narrowed her gaze. "I thought we were over that." The brunette said sharply. "Right…" Emma grumbled. "About  _that_ … Next time you bring flowers to your  _girlfriend_  to work, at least make sure Henry already knows his mother is dating at all, so he doesn't have to learn from the town's gossip about her relationship with the new waitress." Emma said with anger and Regina felt guilty for a brief moment. "As if it had been any different from you and the pirate." The brunette muttered.

"Is everything alright there, Regina?" Elsa appeared from behind her and then met the  _unwelcomed guest_  with a glare, and Emma returned the greeting with the same lack of fondness.  _Of course she would be here_. Emma grimaced _._ "Hi." She tried to feign a smile poorly.

"Everything is fine. Right, Ms. Swan?" Regina glowered and Emma rolled her eyes. "Sure." The Deputy replied and looked at Elsa and then back at Regina. "Could you please give us a moment, _honey_?" Regina requested from Elsa, emphasizing on the endearment. "Sure, my love." Elsa smiled and went forward to plant a kiss on Regina's lips, marking her territory. Emma just rolled her eyes even further until the younger woman disappeared in the living room and Regina stepped out of the house and closed the door.

"You won't keep Henry away from me." Regina said firmly. " _Me?_  You're doing that perfectly on your own, Madam Mayor." Emma's brow furrowed and Regina was loosing her patience. "Excuse me?" Regina questioned.

"It's  _you_  whom is neglecting  _our_  son just to fool around with the new doll in town." Emma spit out and Regina was both angry and conflicted.  _Was that jealousy?_  She shook her head. "I will pretend you didn't just say that, Miss Swan." Regina said after taking a deep breath and Emma rolled her eyes in response.

"Stop doing that." Regina ordered. "What?" Emma threw her hands in the air with exasperation. "And also that!" Regina pointed with her hand at Emma's whole demeanor. "Your eye-rolling is incredibly annoying and you have a perpetual frown that is turning into a wrinkle." Regina pointed to her forehead. "Seriously?" Emma was bewildered but, somehow, her anger dropped a little. "Am I ever not serious?" Regina asked in return. "Right." Emma replied and a faint smile appeared in her lips involuntarily.

"Bring Henry for breakfast tomorrow and I will overlook your insubordination." Regina said calmly and Emma sighed deeply.  _Why must I love her?_ The blonde questioned internally. "Deputy, you are dismissed." Regina finished and watched as Emma left her porch with difficulty and when the hideous yellow bug disappeared from her sight, she allowed herself to smile lightly.

"So?" Elsa asked Regina after she came back. "We have the night for our own." Regina smiled and kissed her on her cheek. Elsa looked at her dubiously and felt something move inside her. No matter how much Regina tried to pretend, she knew the brunette still cared for Emma.  _Time heals all wounds._ She told herself.

She still remembered Krystal and there had been times she wished she could reach her, but there was no chance she could be alive, or in this world, and her feelings for Regina continued to grow with every minute they spent together. She had only known Krystal for a day or two and she convinced herself it had been just a crush. _Definitely not True Love._

The Queen of Arendelle had been forced to leave the past behind and move on, just like Regina was trying to do now and she would support her and work hard for their happy ending together. "I love you." Elsa whispered in her ear and before Regina returned an answer, she told her she would like to sleep in her own bedchambers. The weather had warmed up and she was worried for the state of her palace and her friend Olaf.

Regina nodded in understanding and kissed Elsa's lips one more time before the lady vanished in a white mist of magic. The brunette was both disappointed and grateful, as she couldn't yet bring herself to tell her she loved her, but she did feel something blooming inside her.  _Hope for love._ That much she was certain and missed the young woman the moment she left her.

* * *

A new day greeted Regina's window and the brunette went to fully open her curtains to allow more light into her bedroom. Her clock by the side showed it was seven and she proceeded to take a shower. By now, Elsa would most likely be working at Granny's and she decided she would first talk with Henry before formally introducing the Queen of Arendelle as her choice of partner.

Regina had jut finished cooking when the doorbell rang and she patted her hands dry to go greet the newcomers. "Henry!" She opened her arms and he went to hug her gently. She kissed his forehead and he smiled warmly. "Come in, honey." She signaled and let him through the door.

"Hi." Emma greeted. "Miss Swan… Thank you for bringing him in time." Regina nodded and Emma smiled faintly. "No problem." The blonde responded and averted her eyes from the Mayor's. "I should be going." She said uneasy. "Of course. Have a good day, deputy." Regina dismissed her in her neutral un-attached politician tone and Emma turned around and made it to her car to leave without another word.

They had their meal like they used to do years ago when it was just the two of them, but that wasn't exactly a good thing. Henry had mostly remained silent through the course of their breakfast and Regina couldn't bring him to speak much about his week in school. He seemed troubled about something and Regina feared that what Emma had said last night was true. Gossip in town spread like the flu and Henry had indeed heard about his mother and Elsa.

After Regina finished the dishes with her son's help, she asked him to join her in the living room. They went to sit down in the sofa and his mother felt her hands begin to sweat with anxiety. "It's okay, mom. I already heard the rumors." Henry decided to speak first to break the ice.

"I resent that you had to learn that way, Henry. It happened so fast that I didn't have enough time to react." She told him and offered an apologetic smile. "So it's true?" Henry asked and looked at her with some doubt. "It is. Elsa and I… well, we get along and want to try. That's, of course, if you don't oppose. Your opinion is too important to me, Henry. If this bothers you at all, I will end it." Regina cupped his hands in hers and looked into his eyes earnestly.

"Mom… This is weird." Henry squeezed her hands and Regina felt slightly scared of his following answer.  _What if he doesn't want Elsa in their lives?_ She promised she would do what was best for him. "What is?" Regina requested with nervousness. "Well, no one usually cares about my opinion." He mumbled as his gaze went to the rug under their feet.

"Don't say that. You know I care. Please feel free to talk to me." Regina gently lifted up his chin to meet his eyes again. "I didn't know Emma was with Hook until I saw them making out outside Granny's, and it wasn't much different when I walked in on you and Robin." Henry grumbled and Regina frowned. "I can't excuse  _Emma_  but I can speak in my favor, Henry. You didn't have your memories then. I would have told you before starting to see him." Regina clarified. "I know." Henry felt a little guilty because she was right and he had thought of Regina as just the Mayor back then.

"Tell me, do you want me to stop with Elsa?" Regina asked him and waited for his answer. He looked at her with curiosity and then asked her. "Would you be sad if I said yes?" He kept his intent stare to read his mother's facial expression. Regina's corners of her mouth went slightly downwards and her eyes lost some of their vibrancy. She indeed looked sad in Henry's eyes and that assured him of his answer.

"No. If that's what you want, it will be what I want to." Regina assured him as best as she could, not to trouble him. "No. I want you to be happy, mom. Whether it is with Elsa, Robin or even Emma." He replied and Regina was baffled.

"What?" She shook her head incredulously. "Yeah… Before I got my memories back, I noticed your strange… interaction with ma. But I guess that's over now." He told her and smiled lightly. "Mom, just go for who YOU want. I won't mind." He squeezed her shoulder and Regina felt her eyes well up with tears. "Thank you, Henry." Her son had matured quite a lot and was so supportive of her; it almost felt like a dream.

Mother and son spent the whole Saturday together around town. They visited the library and went to a secret section she kept behind a secured door and retrieved a spells book that was for beginners; it mainly housed white magic spells she knew she could share with Henry. He was coming of age and had already expressed his interest in developing his own magic.

"Are you serious?" Henry couldn't believe it. "Yes, dear. It's yours and I will guide you through every step." She smiled and waved a hand to make the door to that section disappear behind cloaking spell. "Awesome!" He exclaimed cheerfully and they went to sit down at a small desk.

"Mom, what language is this?" He showed her after opening the book. "It's elfish." She answered. "How am I supposed to learn the spells if I can't even read them?" His brow furrowed. "I guess I'll have to teach you elfish as well." She smiled warmly and he grinned in return. "Great!" He was very excited.

"This is a protection spell." Regina answered after Henry showed her a page that caught his attention. "Put your hand in the center of the page and say firmly:

By the dragons light,  
On this march night,  
I call to thee  
To give me your might,  
By the power of three,  
I conjure thee,  
To protect all that,  
Surrounds me.

His mother told him and he repeated after her, keeping his intent focused on the spell, much better than what his birthmother had done in her first sorcery session in Neverland, or her second in Regina's vault.

After he finished casting his first spell, a circle of white light shone around him; rising from the floor and up to the ceiling, to finally disappear behind a trail of tiny balls of light that slowly dissipated. "Wow, that was so cool!" He told her and Regina smiled proudly. "Now you're protected from black magic for the rest of the day and night." She told him.

"So no one can curse me?" He asked her. "Not today. And certainly not for as long as I live." She wrapped an arm around him and walked to the exit. "Enough magic for a day." She pulled the book from his grasp and he scowled. "Not fair. I thought it was mine now." He complained. "And it is but..." She reconsidered. "You may keep it, but don't let anyone see you with it." His mother said with a serious tone. "I won't." He promised.

Time had run too fast for Regina's liking and the sun was already starting to set. _Incredible how the perception of time changes when you're enjoying yourself._ "Are you hungry?" Regina asked her son. "Famished!" He replied quickly. "We missed lunch because of our magic lessons." Regina told him but Henry didn't mind on the slightest; he had a sparkle of joy in hazel eyes. "Granny's?" He asked his mother tentatively. "If it doesn't bother you." Regina responded slowly. "Nope." He answered without a second thought.

* * *

When they came through Granny's door, the noise of cheerful talk quickly turned down. Regina glanced around and then moved with Henry further into the diner. "We'd like a table." She said to a waitress named Stacey. "Over here, Madame Mayor." She promptly guided them to a table that had just cleared and cleaned it quickly. "I'll be back to take your order in a moment." The waitress nervously excused herself and gave them the menus before leaving.

Talk resumed in the diner and both Regina and Henry could distinguish the Mayor's name from time to time through the murmurs, but pretended not to hear for the sake of each other. They finally made their order after Stacey returned to check on them and it took other several minutes to receive their food, as the place was more packed than usual.

Everyone seemed to have come with the only purpose to have a look at the waitress that conquered the Mayor's heart and whenever Elsa showed up, eyes would follow her every move in hope of seeing her and Regina have a compromising display of affection to confirm the rumors. But Elsa didn't want to embarrass the Mayor and kept herself distant, pretending not to know she was even there. She had accepted working the evening shift as well, so she could have the whole Sunday for herself (and Regina).

Another customer came with his wife through the door and when the  _star waitress_  was walking with a food tray in her hands, she suddenly let it drop to the floor. All eyes immediately went to watch Elsa but for her it was as if the room had faded to black and there was only her and the Dark Wizard floating in space.

"You…" Elsa narrowed her eyes on him and slowly walked closer but Rumplestiltskin couldn't really recognize her with her waitress uniform and without magic shooting involuntarily from her hands. Belle looked at the other woman and then back at Rumplestiltskin. "Do you know each other?" She asked him in bewilderment. "I'm not sure." He tried to recall her face but it was the silver glimmer in ice-cold eyes what reminded the Dark One who that person was. "This can't be possible." He mumbled.

People continued staring and wondering at the strange change of vibration in the diner; the air thick with something they couldn't comprehend.  _Was it black magic?_ They started to feel nervous. "Elsa." It was Regina's voice and her touch what made Elsa stop in time before summoning her magic in public sight.

"What's going on here?" Granny came from the kitchen and looked around. "Take your dirty laundry to your own territory." The old woman muttered and Regina twitched her lip in disapproval or her comment. "Everything is fine. Right, Rumplestiltskin?" Regina looked at him with scorn and he grimaced. "I wouldn't worry about me, dearie. I'd be more worried about your choice of partner." His tone was patronizing.

Elsa's anger only increased and she took a step forward but Regina tugged on her arm and gently pulled her back. Elsa looked at her questioningly and Regina moved her head slightly in negative.  _He isn't worth it._  The waitress could almost hear her saying. "But-" The blonde tried to oppose but Regina interrupted.

"Whomever I choose as my partner is my own concern." The Mayor raised her voice and everyone knew she was directing it to all of them, not just Rumplestiltskin. "If any harm comes to her, rest assured I will bring you to your grave." Regina said with a lower voice and it reminded her subjects about the Evil Queen they had once known.

"Regina, dearie, I merely came here to have a peaceful dinner with my wife. I didn't come to pick up a fight." Rumplestiltskin used a scoffing tone and Regina had to count to ten in order to calm herself. It was so easy to fall into his game of bicker but she wouldn't permit darkness to dictate her actions any longer.  _Unless there is no other choice._

"Enjoy your dinner then." Regina stepped aside and the Dark One and his wife went to take seat in a booth that had cleared during their polite quarrel. Rumplestiltskin spared a glance at Elsa and a silvery glare met him briefly.  _This isn't over yet._  The younger woman thought and Rumplestiltskin could get the message from her glower.

It was now the Deputy who came through the door, followed by her father; the Sheriff and former King. They both looked at the tense ambient and slowly made it to the bar to ask Ruby about it and everyone else returned to mind their own business.

"What did we miss?" Emma asked her and Ruby leaned forward. "Sooo much!" She exaggerated her demeanor but spoke in a low volume. David glanced at them and decided to take seat in one of the stools while the ladies caught up with gossip.

Regina had returned to her own table with Henry and Elsa retreated to the kitchen to replace the meal she accidentally dropped to the floor. Granny wasn't very pleased but at least there hadn't been a magical fight and she let the girl keep her job. "No more dirty laundry, young lady." She said firmly but with a hint of worry. She had grown fond of the newbie but she wouldn't let her get away with more confrontations like these. "I'm sorry for what happened. It won't repeat." Elsa assured her and left with her order.

"This is on the house." Elsa said to the old couple after serving their plates. "Thank you, Elsa." They said with fondness and smiled. They were regulars at Granny's and had taken a liking to the new waitress. "Don't mind that rancid man." The lady told her and Elsa forced a believable smile. "I won't, Mrs. Patterson." She excused herself.

Elsa was going in direction of the cashier to prepare a bill, when she remembered she had found something unfamiliar in her bedchambers. She went over to Regina and Henry's table and Emma's eyes tracked her movement from a not so far distance like an eagle.

"Regina…" Elsa brought her hand to one of the pockets in her apron. "Yes, dear?" The brunette smiled warmly. "I think you... dropped this." She pulled out the cellphone and Regina's eyes open wider. "Oh. Yes. I think it must have slipped when I reached your arm." The Mayor quickly made up and Emma let a sarcastic laugh out, which drew Regina's attention momentarily her way but then back at Elsa. "Thank you." She smiled as their hands brushed lightly.

"Smooth liars." Emma whispered into her glass of soda before drinking the remaining liquid. "What was that?" David asked curiously and then looked in the direction Emma was staring with disgust. "Something wrong with Regina?" He asked her. "What? No. I was just… thinking aloud." Emma shook her head but David wasn't convinced.

"How are things going with Hook?" He asked tentatively. "It's over." Emma said like it was nothing and his father was even more thrown off. "I swear if he did something-" He became protective but Emma cut him short. "He didn't. It was a mistake… Heat of the moment, nothing else." Emma shrugged and David's brow furrowed.

"Granny's to go." Ruby appeared with a bag and gave it to him. "Thank you, Ruby." He paid her and turned to look at his daughter again. "Are you sure you don't want to join us home?" He insisted. "Thanks, Dad, but I prefer to stick around in case there's a face off between  _the_   _Evil Queen_  and  _the Dark One_." She said mockingly and David surrendered. Emma was just in an insufferable mood. _Maybe that time of the month._ He planted a kiss to her forehead and waved a hand at Henry. "See you tomorrow, young man."

Regina paid their dinner soon after and got up to leave together with Henry. Elsa's shift wouldn't be over until they closed, so she decided to see her tomorrow and as they were leaving the small diner, Emma continued to follow the Mayor's movements like a hawk but it was Ruby who cut her focus. She popped right in front of her sight and asked her what the hell was going on with her hideous attitude.

"Spit it out! You've been avoiding me for days." Ruby told her and Emma growled. "So?" The waitress demanded. "I broke up with Hook." Emma answered lazily. "Finally! I knew that wouldn't go anywhere." Ruby rolled her eyes. "Then what do you want to know, Rubes?" Emma was mortified. "Tell me what's up with you and Regina. You keep glaring at her and Elsa, I could almost swear you look jealous." Ruby told her.

"She stood me up." Emma muttered. "She?" Ruby narrowed her gaze. "Regina… Remember the other day? When I asked you for her usual?" The blonde reminded her. "Oh, right! So that was for her… and the supper you mentioned." Ruby finally tied one and another. "Well, it's obvious now who Regina went with instead." Emma let out a deep sigh. "Ouch." Ruby uttered.

"Ruby! Get off your ass and clean that table!" Granny shouted from the service window and Ruby rolled her eyes. "That sucks. I'm so sorry for you but I gotta go. Please don't do anything stupid." Ruby squeezed her shoulder and left.

"Wait. What? Why do you say that?" Emma questioned but Ruby was too far to hear her and it was another person who answered. "Because I will be there to stop you." Elsa approached her. "Really?" Emma stood up from her stool to bring herself to full height and she was just as tall as the other woman without heels on. "Stay away from Regina." Elsa looked coldly into green eyes. "Or what?" Emma challenged. "You don't want to find out." Elsa replied calmly.

"Listen,  _your_   _Majesty_. In case it passed you, Regina and I have a son and I will  _always_  be in their lives." Emma's tone was condescending and she winked an eye after finishing her sentence. "I know you both share Henry and I will respect that bond, but I won't allow you to use him as a pretext to continue clouding her judgment." Elsa told her as she picked up her empty glass.

"I see Ruby forgot to refill your drink." She said and Emma looked at her as she moved to the fountain and then slipped a new drink over the counter. It slowly started freezing as she pushed it in Emma's direction until it turned into hard ice. "We wouldn't want you complaining about a less than warm service." It was Elsa this time who winked an eye back. "Enjoy your drink, because that's  _all_  you're getting."

Emma's brow furrowed and a sarcastic half smile appeared in a side her mouth. She watched as Elsa disappeared inside the kitchen and pulled some money from her pocket to place it over the counter with anger. "As dangerous as you know me and Regina to be, this peculiar woman could turn out far worse." Rumplestiltskin said behind her and Emma jolted.

"Forgive my manners. I didn't mean to startle you, Savior." He apologized and turned to continue his path toward the door. "Why is she here? What does she want with you?" Emma asked him. "I don't know and… It's none of your business." He ignored her and continued walking. "Rumple, you owe us some answers." Belle tugged on his arm and he looked at her and then returned a deep sigh. "We'll see in my vault."


	10. Chapter 10

After the small confrontation with the "popular" waitress, both of Elsa's opponents went to Rumplestiltskin's secret vault; the one even him didn't like frequenting for its magical relics were those too dark or unstable to risk tampering with.

"I remember this place. It is exactly as it was in our trip to the past." Emma commented after descending the stairs. It was an underground shelter in Rumplestiltskin's backyard, which he kept well hidden under a cloaking spell and a blood lock protected it from any intruders.

"I see." Rumplestiltskin eyed her and had a clue now who was responsible for the loss of one of his most valuable items.  _But how did she not notice she brought the Ice Queen with her into the future?_  "Tell me, Emma. When you were here in the past, what did you take from my vault?" He got closer, keeping a firm stare upon her.

"Nothing! I didn't touch a thing. You said it was too dangerous." Emma protested. "Well, someone certainly did, or else I have no other answer that can explain Elsa's presence in Storybrooke." He muttered. "Think!" He gritted his teeth with anger.

"Well, Hook was looking at a brass vase but he didn't take it. I put it back over a pedestal before opening the portal." Emma remembered. "Look, we didn't bring any other woman aside of Marian through the portal." She let a heavy sigh out and put her hands on the sides of her hips irritated.

Rumplestiltskin brought his hand to his chin. He then walked over to an armoire and opened the doors to look inside. "Without that urn, we can't contain her." He tapped the floor with his cane in frustration.

"Whoa-Wait. Do you mean you had her trapped  _inside_  that vase?" Emma narrowed her gaze on him. "Extreme dangers call for extreme measures, Savior." He muttered. "No wonder why she's pissed at you." Emma blurted. "Well, I'm glad I'm not the only target of her scorn now, thanks to you." He sneered back.

Belle continued looking at them without speaking but then her eyes noticed something else in a top shelf inside that same armoire. She took a step closer and carefully retrieved a small jewelry box. "What is this thing?" She asked after opening the chest and seeing a pink-red glow scintillating weakly from what looked like a heart. But not just any heart; it was translucent white, much like ice, but it didn't feel cold to the touch; felt more like quartz stone.

Emma looked at the object with confusion and her brow furrowed.  _Was that even human?_  She wondered. "Whose heart is this? Is it Elsa's?" She asked Rumplestiltskin in bewilderment.

"If it were, I would've already summoned her to my presence and forced her into submission. Don't you think, Emma?" He grimaced thinking about how dumb Emma Swan was some times.

"Right." Emma muttered. "So, whose heart is that?" She asked again.

He snapped de lid closed and then put the treasure chest back inside his old armoire. He turned around to face both women and finally revealed the answer. "Elsa's True Love."

Emma was surprised with the answer, disgusted, but at the same time relieved. The fact Elsa had a True Love already gave her hope in recovering Regina and it was even better to see the heart still held some glow. "Where is the owner? Why don't you summon her and avoid a confrontation with Elsa?" More than a question, it was a demand.

"Because not everything that glows is alive, Emma." Rumplestiltskin said sharply and Emma swallowed hard. That wasn't the answer she had hoped for because it meant the mysterious owner of said heart was no longer amongst the living and her chance with Regina melted away once again.

Mr. Gold explained he had to cast a special spell on the heart to preserve it, as there had been a time when he had a use for it. "The glow you see is nothing more than pixie-dust fooling death." He told them and Emma questioned his motives.

It hadn't been more than a week ago when she tried getting information from him the day she paid him a visit in his shop, and at that time he refused to talk about the dethroned Queen of Arendelle, but on this occasion he finally shared the reason behind capturing her.

"She was another candidate to enact the Dark Curse in case Regina failed." Said the mature man but pointed out he hadn't been responsible for the frozen state of Krystal that led to her inevitable demise.

"Do you mean that sculpture you had as a fountain was actually a woman?" Belle asked with shock. She had always thought it was nothing more than a figure Rumplestiltskin cast just to terrorize his clients and amuse himself, something wicked he often did.

"Yes." Rumplestiltskin answered and looked at both women who were surprised to learn this time it hadn't been the Dark One who put such a terrible spell on the unfortunate girl. "Her body started to melt without explanation one day." He shared. "Ironically, her crystal heart was the only thing that remained."

"It is right to assume now that their magical bond was broken when Elsa disappeared from my vault." He told them and talked about how impressive Elsa's power was, for not even the urn blocked all of her influence around her. Her transpiring magic had kept Krystal's body from melting for years until the day she was sucked into a different dimension; the world without magic.

"And all this time I thought I had misplaced her… I do have quite a bounteous collection to keep track of." A mocking grin appeared in his thin lips. "Looks like you unintentionally destroyed Elsa's chance at a happy ending as well." The old man chuckled and Emma's brow furrowed.

"I told you it wasn't me who took that vase." Emma muttered and rubbed at her temple feeling a strong headache build up. Elsa's path now seemed to be even more bound to cross and tangle with Regina's thanks to Hook.

It was ironic how she had brought Marian back from the past and ruined Regina's chance with Robin, and even more laughable that Hook brought Elsa, destroying Emma's chance with Regina and his own chance with her. Fate was a curious little bitch; she thought and wanted to go back in time again to fix that mishap.

"So, what do we do now? Elsa won't be calm like she had been in the last days. Not after she's seen you." Emma asked with anger.

"Well, I guess it is a good thing she's taken a liking for the Mayor." Rumplestiltskin smirked.

"How is that a good thing? Didn't you say she's unstable? She even froze her goddam True Love, could do the same to Regina!" Emma yelled behind him as he began climbing the stairs to exit the vault.

"That is not my problem, dearie, it's Regina's." He dismissed her and stepped out of the vault with both women behind him. "Besides, if Elsa wanted us dead we would be six feet under snow by now." He told her as he pointed around them and there were no signs of snow in the landscape.

"And you're not worried she might be waiting for the right time to come after you, or Belle, to avenge Krystal?" Emma tugged on his arm to make him look at her, what made Mr. Gold loose his patience and glare dangerously at her.

"I advise you not to touch me again, Emma. For next time, the only one needing a  _savior_  will be yourself." He spoke from tight lips.

Belle stepped in between them and decided to interrupt their quarrel. "Rumple, I think she does have a point. What can we do to prevent another duel? Zelena was not as powerful as Elsa seems to be and caused a lot of trouble." She appealed to his judgment.

"That's exactly what I mean! And even you're scared of her. What kind of chance do we stand?" Emma folded her arms over her chest. "Can't we just ship her back to Arendelle or something?"

"We can't go back in time again. You've already tampered with the past enough and the consequences could be devastating." Rumplestiltskin glared at the blonde.

"So you're just gonna sit back and wait for her to come at you, really?" Emma questioned. "Is there anything at all we can do to stop her?" She exhaled heavily.

Rumplestiltskin observed her and found new entertainment in seeing Emma so resolved about bringing down the Ice Queen, even though Elsa hadn't really done anything  _evil_  yet. "What we could do is push her to the limit, make her loose control and then… a real storm will threaten Storybrooke and not even the Savior will be enough to contain her."

"And Regina will be forced to help us cease her." Emma stepped closer, she looked into his eyes with a strange glimmer and Rumplestiltskin narrowed his gaze curiously on green eyes that carried a different sparkle.  _Was that malice?_  He felt amused by the glimpse of darkness in Snow White's daughter.

"I… I'm not sure that's the best idea." Belle nervously shared her opinion while looking at both of them with slight fear. This version of Emma was different than what she'd seen, but she really didn't know her that well since they never actually took the time to meet and it was just "assumed" Snow White's daughter was good and spotless by nature.

* * *

Elsa worked until it was time to close the diner. She finished cleaning with Ruby and waited with her until locking the small restaurant. They didn't really converse much with one another, but at least it was a start. If they would be working together for a long time, Elsa would have to start opening up to more people, not just Regina.

Ruby asked her what kind of troubled relationship she had with Rumplestiltskin, as their encounter had been far from friendly but Elsa just told her he had something to do with the premature death of her parents; an accident too early. She avoided deepening further in the subject and Ruby refrained from prying.

"It is past midnight, we had too much work this night." Ruby commented as she opened her car. "Why don't you let me give you a ride home?" She offered kindly and Elsa was troubled for moment. She liked this friendlier interaction with the brunette but at the same time she couldn't fully open up. How could she? She lived in the peak of the mountain and that would be turning some red lights.

"Thank you. I would rather walk, it isn't that far from here." Elsa replied and Ruby shrugged. "Okay." The brunette responded and made it inside her car. "You sure you don't want a ride?" She tried again and flashed a smile.

"I'm fine. Thanks again, Ruby." Elsa smiled back and waved with her hand. She pretended to walk in direction of the apartments and waited until Ruby's car disappeared in the distance to puff in a white mist and transport back to her castle. "I will need a more normal domain." Elsa sighed.

She went outside to her balcony and waved a hand to summon life back into her giant guardian and her friend Olaf in the distance. They walked to join her in the castle and both snowmen looked at her with beaten puppy eyes and grumbled about being left alone to melt under the sun. Elsa apologized and made it snow lightly to revitalize them, as she might need them in case Rumplestiltskin decided to attack during her sleep time.

But they weren't the only ones who needed to freshen up. "Ugh, I smell like french fries." The waitress said after removing her uniform and receiving the kick of the food smelling clothes. Spending all day and evening in and out of the kitchen had infused her with the smell of Granny's finest.

Moonlight filtered softly through glass walls that illuminated the palace with a ghostly glow, which bounced off Elsa's pale skin in an almost ethereal shimmer. The regal woman slowly dipped inside the marble bath and steam continued to rise lazily from her tub while she recalled the encounter from a few hours ago.

"Rumplestiltskin…" She mumbled. _If he is here, could she also have made it to this world?_  Elsa wondered and a strange sensation moved inside her.

If Krystal turned out to be here and alive, what would become of her and Regina? She would for sure do anything to save her first love, but she wasn't sure she would be able to part from Regina's side to resume whatever was left pending with the golden-haired girl. But if she was indeed her True Love, how would she face Regina? She couldn't bring herself to break that woman's heart again.

Elsa had nightmares that night, nightmares mixed with memories from the day Krystal was turned into glass by her own kiss.

She felt the grip of fear in her gut, just like that wretched time, and how her unstoppable magic flowed from her own body and into Krystal's, turning her colder than ice. And how the sensation of winter abandoning her body was replaced by the warmth that was meant to be Krystal's life. "You're dead!" Elsa writhed in bed as the words came from her mouth and tears poured from her eyes, but she couldn't wake up no matter how hard she tried.

A loud and bright thunder illuminated the night sky and soon it began to hail all over Storybrooke.

"It has started." Rumplestiltskin mumbled as he stood by the window in his bedroom, watching Elsa's tears fall in the form of a growing hail outside. He went back to join Belle in bed and his wife looked at him with worry and some deception.

"I really hoped some things would change, Rumple." She said with sadness and turned to her side, giving him her back. "Some things never do." Said her husband and tried to touch her shoulder but stopped his hand before making contact with her skin, at the same time a tear rolled down Belle's cheek.

Emma was exhausted and had just fallen asleep when the loud thunder woke her abruptly.

She went to look outside her window and watched as the hail started pouring. More rays of light appeared over the mountain and she felt the punch of guilt twist her stomach. She started to re-consider her alliance with Rumplestiltskin and felt bad about having agreed to place an enchanted dream catcher under Elsa's bed while the waitress was still working in the diner.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dark chapter. Discretion advised.

Belle crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Rumplestiltskin with disbelief. He had promised he would be a better man during his vows; said she inspired him to become that person worthy of her, and also expressed his wish to honor the memory of Bealfire by being a good figure for his grandson. But just as words were easy to come, they might also go with as much ease.

"I won't be part of this." Said the blue-eyed woman as she walked away and left them alone in the shop to arrange whatever deal they would be making.

They had moved to the pawnbroker's after visiting his vault, as the sorcerer believed he could still have something of enough power to match with the Queen of Arendelle.

Rumplestiltskin sighed but let his wife do as she wished and after she left, he retrieved a dream catcher from one of his drawers. He waved his hand over the charm and enchanted it with a sleepless spell.

"Place this under her bed and her mind will do the rest." Rumplestiltskin said to Emma as she approached him to the counter and received the ornament in her hands. She looked into the spider-like web and stared with curiosity, and an image slowly started to appear in the center.

_The tall figure of a man came through the door and cold eyes looked at her with anger. "I don't want to hear you cry again or I will give you a good reason to shed tears." His voice wasn't loud but it was firm and it sent shivers down her spine to see the belt hanging from his hand. She went quiet. The man then turned off the lights and closed the door as he left. She was in one of her foster homes; she was around four years old and terrified of the dark, but now she had an even a bigger fear._

"Like what you see?" Rumplestiltskin interrupted her trance and his lips quirked into a side smirk when she jolted.

She could remember a similar, though less frightening, scene as though it had happened the night before and she felt her eyes sting and her heart beat faster. Emma tore her gaze away from the dream catcher and looked at Gold bewildered.

"No." She mumbled. "What was all of that?" She asked with a breaking voice and cleared her throat.

"The past that haunts one." Said the warlock with solemnity. "And fears that grip on us." He told her and Emma's hands were still a little shaky as she held the enchanted dream catcher. "Having second thoughts,  _Savior_?" He narrowed his gaze on her but was unaltered by her hesitance, as he knew better than anyone how to push people in the right direction to play like a chess piece in his table.

Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to trust in anything that came from the Dark One.  _Most certainly not_ , but what other choice did she have? She was on her own in this one and Elsa was standing in the way of her happy ending with Regina.

_Regina..._

Emma had occupied Regina's heart first and felt entitled to be the last.  _They can't have true love._  She repeated in her inside to justify her growing urge to recover what she lost.

Gold had claimed the frozen heart in his possession was that of Elsa's true love, but it didn't make so much sense.  _Why had Krystal turned into ice with her kiss then?_ Emma questioned internally, for it could only mean she was not  _the one_  for Elsa. But that didn't mean it had to be Regina,  _did it?_

"No." Emma responded.

If they hadn't fallen through the portal things would have gone differently. She had been clear with Hook she didn't want anything with him before that wretched trip in time and when she had been alone in the park after being confronted about her wish to leave Storybrooke in Granny's, she started considering to finally  _come out_  and  _then_  decide whether to stay or go back if they weren't supportive… If the only lips she desired kissing were condemning.

The potion she drank in NY had more than brought back her memories, as the first person to come to her mind had been that special someone and she felt a familiar flutter in her stomach; a flutter she often got whenever she faced the mayor.  _How curious._  It hadn't been the pirate and not even her parents. The confusing feelings she housed for the mayor revealed themselves that moment but she couldn't be sure they were "right" or reciprocal at the time.  _But now?_ She had had a taste at those lips and it cost both of them so much to part from each other.  _The first and last._  It still made her ache and feel the rain pouring over.

If she could've had the chance to face her true feelings and open up to her family, then maybe,  _surely,_  Regina would've come clear, too, and there would have been no Marian, no Elsa and just no ghosts from the past to come in between them. It would just be them and Henry, like it should've been from the beginning.  _If._

"Then I suggest you move fast if you don't want to miss another chance." Said Gold and it felt as if he had read her mind and knew everything that was going inside her.

"Right..." Emma hesitated but started walking in direction of the door. She turned back to look at Gold one last time. "Krystal… She wasn't her True Love, was she?" The blonde asked already knowing the answer but she needed to hear the contrary, even if it would be a lie. Maybe that would make her task easier, _justifiable even._

"What difference does it make, dearie?" Rumplestiltskin replied.

"I guess none." Emma mumbled.

"The real question is... Who decides?" He looked into her eyes with resolve. "Nothing is written in stone, Emma." He added and she understood.

Whoever had decided whom their True Loves should be was wrong. Neal died in her arms and Regina had also seen life be ripped off from Daniel before her eyes. Nobody would choose for them again and Emma decided to occupy that space in the Mayor's heart once and for all.  _No one else. No more obstacles. No matter the price._

"I do now." Emma exited the shop with determination.

With a wicked smirk, Rumplestiltskin watched her leave his store. He then turned his back to the now empty lobby and opened his safe to retrieve something shiny from its inside. He held a golden apple in his hand and grinned as the fruit of discord revealed two names written on its flesh, back to back.

"And monsters are now born from light." He chuckled.

* * *

The hail slowly became more aggressive and bigger balls of ice came down from the sky to crash against the surface. Many cars had their glass broken by now and several windows of houses and businesses had shattered as well, as Elsa's nightmares continued to unfold one after the other in a terrifying sequence.

"You have the throne! What else could you possibly take from me now?" Elsa raised her voice and stepped back but her body suddenly became heavier and disturbingly numb.

Her feet suddenly sank in the ground and her body was now halfway covered by bloodstained snow. She looked around her and recognized the landscape; the mountains of Arendelle, and then found the source of the blood staining the white surface not far from her body.

Her eyes then opened wider when she saw Anna lay unconscious in the red pool of her own blood. "Sister!" Elsa screamed as tears fell from her eyes and tried to crawl out of her cold prison, but her body was very weak and she couldn't become unstuck. "Please open your eyes!" She cried out with despair.

"I told you not to come back but you just wouldn't listen, would you?" A mocking voice spoke from above. She saw brown leather boots come close and she slowly looked up to meet with the man that had stolen her kingdom.

"What I need now is a Queen, you see?" Hans said as he spared a glance to the bloodied body. "Your sweet little Anna could amuse me no longer." He said in a bored tone before pushing Anna's dead body with the heel of his boot off a cliff.

"NOOOOOO! Anna!" Elsa screamed as she watched her sister's body roll down and fall off. "How could you!" Elsa cried tears of rage and desolation.

He knelt by her side and brought his face closer to hers. "Me? You did this to her, Elsa." Hans said as he ran the back of his hand over her cheek in the same way he had stroked Anna's while telling her what a lovely doll she made.

"Coming back, you shouldn't have done that." The impostor King told her and grabbed her firmly by the chin. He held her face in place and brought his lips very close to hers. "Today is your lucky day, though, witch." Said the perverted man as his eyes studied Elsa's beautiful facial features. "I'm feeling lonely after loosing my wife and a man can't truly be a King if he doesn't have a Queen to  _rule_  every night." He said and forced his lips on Elsa's in a vicious kiss.

Elsa tried to push him away but her magic wouldn't manifest. She smacked his chest with her fists but all that made was cause Hans to chuckle and become even more interested in exercising his power on her. He forced his tongue into her mouth and Elsa took that opportunity to bite it hard and made him draw back and release his grip on her.

She looked at her magic-less hands and realized she was again wearing the enchanted gloves the dark warlock procured to her parents in her childhood. She was powerless and Hans smirked as he tasted his own blood.

"I like your feistiness, Elsa. It is quite refreshing, so much better than that sister of yours who was always too pleasing." He grinned with malice and looked at Elsa's trapped body. He launched over her and she felt herself fall on her back, no longer trapped in snow, and her body landed in what used to be her own bed in the palace. A heavier weight then reminded her she wasn't alone and she opened her eyes to see Hans pressing his body on to her slender frame while pinning her down.

"Our wedding night at last,  _MY Queen._ " He whispered in her ear and she felt her soul abandon her body. She really wished she could die that moment. "Elsa… Oh, Elsa… You will finally be mine." He started moaning in her ear and she cried with impotency of being unable to push him off.

He was too heavy and strong for a frightened woman without magic and she was hopeless. No matter how hard she tried to fight him, she just couldn't defeat him. _I just want this to be over._ She wept silently this time in abandonment. Maybe if he got what he wanted, he would soon forget about her and dispose of her body like he did with Anna's. So she stopped struggling and just laid there like a puppet and this was exactly what Hans didn't want to experience again.

"I like it more when you cry and fight me, witch!" He slapped her. "Come on now. I want to fuck the real Elsa!" His hands started to shake her shoulders vigorously. "COME BACK!" He ordered.

"Please STOP…" Elsa cried out with despair. "Hans, I beg you. Don't touch me!" She moved her arms to cover her chest and protect her body while crying hopelessly.

"Elsa! Elsa!" He kept shouting but his voice started changing. "Elsa, please, it's me!" The voice continued shouting but also morphing into a less masculine.

She tried to recognize that far away voice, but something prevented her from being aware of her real surroundings and she continued dreaming.

"Come back to me, Elsa." Regina pleaded as she embraced her quivering body and tried to make her feel protected. "Elsa, it's me, Regina." The brunette said in her ear but Elsa still wouldn't open her eyes. "Please! I don't know how to help you." Regina felt desperate and her eyes welled up with tears while she continued hearing Elsa beg Hans to have mercy.

She wondered if that was a nightmare or perhaps a memory and remembered her own experience with Leopold. The King had not been aggressive but she still felt defiled because she had to  _comply_  with her  _duty_  as the new wife of the old man at a young age.

 _What kind of nightmare are you having that you cannot wake from?_  Regina asked herself. "Elsa, please… I'm here now." Regina cried and realized this was no ordinary bad dream. "It must be dark magic." She mumbled.  _Could her kiss break the spell?_ She wondered.  _But what if it wasn't true love what they shared?_  Regina looked at Elsa's pale lips considering it.

In her dream, Hans was now stroking and smelling her unbraided mane. "So soft… so pure… and so helpless." He said in her ear and cupped her face. "My new doll to play with." He pressed his lips onto hers again, but this time Elsa's eyes flickered silver.

She retrieved strength from only the heavens know where and her hands clawed at his arms. She felt her magic return with fury and she wanted her kiss to turn deathly, like the day it unwillingly turned Krystal into a statue of ice. So she focused her power and, with her hands, she absorbed all the warmth she could sense emanating from Hans; he slowly turned into ice and she tore her lips apart when he moved no longer.

"I told you not to touch me." Elsa said as she rolled to the side and got up from bed. She summoned her old blue dress and made her hair be braided again with the magic that had returned to her body. She ripped off the useless gloves and walked around the person frozen in her bed.

"I should drop you off a cliff like you did with my sister." She told him and a wicked glimmer scintillated in her eyes. "Worthless piece of trash." She side glanced her balcony and considered throwing him off that steep height. "And see you shatter in a million pieces." Her lips quirked upwards entertaining the idea.

Elsa was no longer panting in her sleep. She was standing by her bed; eyes fully open as though she were awake, but her mind remained half trapped inside that vivid nightmare and the frozen statue laying on her bed was no other than Regina herself.


	12. Chapter 12

A thunder; the one that lit the sky before the hail started was what awakened the sleeping mayor. The same ray of light that made Rumplestiltskin smirk and Emma feel remorse. Regina had almost had the perfect day, hadn't it been for Rumplestiltskin and Elsa running into each other. Nothing bad happened at that moment but the sound making the heavens quake told her now their battle had started.

She went to look for Rumplestiltskin and was confounded when she found him in his house, wearing his pajamas and looking very much relaxed. It was obvious he wasn't in the middle of a magical duel and the mayor let out a heavy sigh. "If you have anything to do with this hail, I will show you no mercy once I find out." Regina threatened and disappeared in a purple mist.

Emma couldn't find rest after her actions provoked the violent force of nature that now impaled Storybrooke. She was trying to fall back asleep when her phone started ringing and she answered the moment she saw it was Henry.

He called to let her know Regina had left an hour earlier when the hail became too unforgiving and she had not yet returned. She wasn't answering his calls and Emma felt her blood run cold. The line was breaking but she managed to ask him to remain inside the manor and ordered not to leave under any circumstances. She would go look for Regina to make sure she was safe.

 _Of course Regina would run after Elsa._  She slammed the door on her way out of the apartment. The weather reflected the Queen of Arendelle's torment and only an ignorant would miss that, but she had wanted, hoped for, Regina to ignore it but such was not in the cards of this unfortunate lover and Emma made her old VW's engine rev like it could actually prowess in the icy flood.

The car died not too far from woodland and Emma had to take on by foot. She moved with as much speed as she was able to force her body to and eventually tripped in the mud. With difficulty she reincorporated herself and continued demanding from her body to keep up with her, and then something unexpected happened; a mist, a yellowish-gold fume transported her to the castle.

She had been there before and knew the destination but more than anything she wanted to get to Elsa's bedroom to destroy that dream catcher and her intuitive magic made the trip much faster. Disturbingly faster, it almost felt like some foreign force had aided her in her desperation.

She stood in the center of Elsa's bedroom but the Queen of Arendelle wasn't there.  _Where could she have gone?_ Emma wondered and looked around her with stealth. She moved in the shadows and finally reached to the royal bed and pulled up the skirt to look for the dream catcher, but there was nothing there.

When she lifted up her gaze, she distinguished Elsa through the glassy doors to the balcony and a strangely familiar body covered in ice that seemed too rigid to be moving on its own. Elsa was dragging it along, closer to the edge as the hail subdued.

The Queen in silk blue dress stopped to wipe off some sweat and looked at the statue once again. "I will finally be free from you." She gave a sigh of relief and looked to the horizon but an unexpected voice soon interrupted her moment of reverie.

"Don't do this, Elsa." Emma said as she walked very slowly in her direction.

"Who said that?" Elsa turned to look for the intruder, still under the influence of the spell, but when she saw the golden mane her brain linked it to… "Krystal?" Elsa mumbled and brought a hand to cover her mouth as she gasped.

"But… but... I thought you were dead." Her voice was breaking as she came closer to Emma, she stopped a few inches from her and nervously ran her fingers through her hair to check if it wasn't just a vision.  _She's real. She's here, but how?_  She wondered, surprised by the unexpected encounter. "How long have you been free?" She asked after feeling the noticeably longer length of hair and tears pooled in her eyes.

"I… I don't know." Emma blinked her eyes in confusion and stared at the other blonde.  _What is wrong with her?_  She was puzzled but noticed the hail had stopped and the wind was now blowing more mercifully. She side glanced the frozen statue and noticed purple fume swiveling inside the icy shell.  _Regina!_ Emma wanted to shout but refrained because startling Elsa in her state wouldn't be advisable.

"Why don't we come inside and catch up?" Emma offered her arm and Elsa was confounded. In this world of hazy memories she felt the same  _care_  for Krystal she had in the past, but why did it feel like she was betraying someone by allowing her to come so close? She shook away the thought. _There is no one else._

"Hans!" She stopped before Emma opened the door and turned around.

"We must destroy him before he breaks free." Elsa started breathing agitatedly. "My magic seems to melt away, we can't risk! We must kill him and take back Arendelle." She walked in direction of the sculpture and Emma had to step on the long cape of her dress to make her stop.

It wasn't a very polite move but it was the only one Emma could do that moment to prevent Elsa from murdering Regina, who was just managing to crack the ice shell entrapping her. _Buy me a minute._  She could almost hear Regina saying when their eyes briefly met.

"Krystal? What are you doing?" Elsa turned back around in disbelief and her brow furrowed.

"Murder is not the answer, Elsa. Can't we, like, bring him to court and let him be judged for his crimes?" Emma offered another solution but Elsa wasn't convinced.

"Are you… on his side?" Elsa narrowed her gaze on her. "You know my own council betrayed me."

"Of course not!" Emma replied and when she saw Regina melt the shell away, she threw her arms around Elsa in an embrace she really didn't want giving.  _The things I do for you._  Emma looked at Regina from over Elsa's shoulder. "I'm in yours!" Emma said to the younger woman.

But Elsa was not to be fooled again and a thunder lit the landscape allowing her to see the image reflected in the glass of her balcony doors, watching as  _Hans_  regained movement and started to walk behind her.

"You were with him all along." Elsa muttered the words and magic swirled in her hands, she pushed Krystal away from her body and turned around to face Hans. "Don't think you will escape me again!" She shot an icy attack but Regina blocked it with her magic, for now she was on guard and ready.

"Elsa, you have to wake up!" Regina said firmly and Elsa let out mirthless laugh.

"Wake up? I've never been as awake as I am right now." She responded and threw another attack but it again died in a curtain of steam that dissipated.

"I should have known the warlock would grant you powers." She glared at Regina. "I bet he has also provided you with magic." She turned to look at Emma with scorn. "It was all an act to get me trapped inside that prison!" She threw her hands up in the air as she released a guttural scream of rage and a storm started to stir the sky and menace the land.

"So much is your greed..." Elsa looked with hate at Hans and then at Krystal with heartbreak. "Well, you can both share the kingdom… Or at least what will be left from the realm when I'm done with Arendelle." She said with a lower voice that made both women feel shivers.

Elsa disappeared behind a puff of snow and then they saw a snake of clouds start to form in the heavens. It was slowly but steadily growing bigger and it slithered in direction of the heart of Storybrooke.

"We can't let her destroy our hometown." Emma turned to Regina.

"No… we won't." Regina exhaled deeply.

They heard a loud growl and watched as the big snowman rose from white ground and became twice the size. He started to hike down the mountain and they could see his advance from the balcony by the path of dead pine trees he left behind him in his wrath. And then a more familial snowman appeared. "Snowflake is very angry." Olaf said to both women as he came to join them. "And Elsa looked very sad." He turned to look at Regina and then at Emma. He recognized both women and beckoned the mayor to lean down so he could speak to her in secret.

"What is the insensible wench doing here?" He asked after remembering the way Elsa would call  _the peasant in red_  in private.

"What?" Regina shook her head and Olaf pointed with a finger to the blonde across from them. "Oh. She came to help me cheer up Elsa." Regina elaborated for him.

"Hmm… You know, if we find Anna she will probably cheer up." He said to both and Regina turned to look at Emma with confusion.

"Did you bring anyone else?" The brunette asked. "Is it possible Anna is out there as well?"

"No… but maybe we don't need the  _real_ Anna to help." Emma told her.

"Of course… right now she can't tell the difference." Regina mumbled.

"We will find Anna for you, Olaf." Said the blonde to the little snowman.

"Great!" Olaf exclaimed. "I will help find her, as well."

Olaf resumed his quest to find Anna and left Regina and Emma alone in the balcony. He thought it would be best to spread to cover more land and he started to roll down the mountain until he made it to the street and followed the road back to the town.

"Emma, who is Krystal and why does Elsa keep calling you that?" Regina turned to ask the deputy. "She hasn't told you?" Emma answered looking as surprised as Regina was with that response.

How could Elsa avoid mentioning someone that seemed to be very important and why did Emma know about this person but not her? Regina wondered. "If she had, I wouldn't be bothering you with the question, Ms. Swan." Regina grumbled.

"Right… Well, Krystal was her True Love back in Arendelle." Emma told her and Regina almost froze again. Why did Elsa hide such a vital part of her story, if Regina had told her all about her life and Daniel? The mayor felt somewhat upset.  _Did Elsa not trust her completely?_ She sighed deeply.

"And now she thinks you are her." Regina brought a hand to her temple and looked downcast. "So that's why my kiss didn't wake her from her nightmare." She turned to look back into Emma's eyes. "Because of Krystal…" Regina muttered. "I keep loosing to ghosts." Regina's voice menaced with breaking into a sob but she breathed deeply to evade it.

"It doesn't have to be that way, Regina. Not anymore." Emma stepped closer and took her hands in hers. "I am here for you... True and forever." She pulled her into an embrace and Regina was stunned for a moment. Emma's arms felt warm and protective, enticing even, but something didn't click like it used to… it didn't feel right.

"The storm is going to hit any moment. We have to go now." Regina said weakly, still allowing Emma to hold her in her sad realization that she might never have a true love. She just needed to feel someone in the world was there for her, even if it wasn't whom her heart now desired most.

"Together we can overcome everything, Regina." Emma lifted Regina's chin gently with her finger and looked into caramel eyes with yearning. She had missed being this close to the mayor for the longest and wanted for this moment to last an eternity. A lifetime of brown eyes and crimson lips was what she most desired, so she started to lean down in search of the mouth she ached kissing.

Regina felt nervous and stared as she came closer and closer; heart beating faster, but when rosy lips brushed lightly over red, she pushed Emma away. "Now is not the moment, Emma. We have a town to save." Regina stepped back and averted her eyes. "Let's go stop Elsa." Regina offered a hand to transport her but Emma looked at it with a scowl.

"Don't bother, Madam Mayor." She muttered. "I will handle her myself." She disappeared in a mist of gold smoke. She could feel vile burning inside her and she saw Regina's rejection as Elsa's fault. This girl had confused her beyond point of recognition and she would get rid of that stone that managed to get inside her shoe.

She had never felt as jealous as she felt now and her anger only had one name: Elsa. Her only desire: Regina, and she would do the impossible to make it happen; recur to magic. Her dormant magic that would manifest out of self-preservation instinct and which had proven to be powerful enough to make Regina comment about her potential and how much she had been wasting it.  _Well, not anymore._

Regina was baffled for she had never seen Emma use magic to travel and there was something slightly unsettling about that golden fume that engulfed the blonde. It left a trail of spoiled apple scent behind and Regina could sense the remnants of dark magic mixed with light. But dark magic and Emma Swan didn't go together, did they?  _No…_  Regina mumbled and she could only think now about her former mentor.

* * *

Elsa was standing on the roof a building when from her hands she sent a blizzard to tear the sails from the boats floating in water. "No more trades with the duke of Weselton." She muttered and made wooden decks collapse. "Or any other realm for that matter." She smirked darkly.

Elsa waited until her snowman joined her side, she levitated in the air and went to sit on the shoulder of her big guardian and then guided him to the heart of Arendelle.

When they reached to the clock tower she made a signal with her hand and the big snowman used his fist to smash the building beside it, breaking through the roof and making the earth tremble for a moment with the violent attack as the building came apart.

People were in their homes, hidden in their underground shelters and Elsa continued ordering her guardian to destroy the small businesses from the main street, as the tower would be her personal treat for in her mind it was her own castle; the palace that watched her grow lonelier and frightened of her own powers, away from the kind contact of people and the possibility of finding someone to share the throne with.

 _Someone…_   _How could you do this to me?_  Elsa suffered internally as she remembered Krystal's betrayal and let the strength of her pain smash against the clock tower in her first direct attack. Blue light swirled in her hands and a ray of energy shot from her right palm to pierce through the clock's glass and walls, making it crumble to the ground.

A second ray of light parted from her hands and it went through the gates, or library's doors, and made an explosion inside. Papers and snow floated in the air as Elsa let her wrath out, embracing her heartbreak and thirst for vengeance.

It was in her moment of destroying bliss when a gold ray of light suddenly made her fall from the shoulder of her guardian but he quickly reacted to catch his Mistress in a soft snow hand. Elsa shook her head lightly confused for a moment and then her vision caught sight of Krystal again.

"I was right, he did give you powers as well." She said as she got back on her feet and asked her guardian to lower her down.

"You won't destroy our home." Emma muttered and watched as Elsa started walking in her direction.

"You're right… I won't. The storm will instead." Elsa pointed up with her index finger and Emma looked up to the sky and watched as the big cyclone started to come down.

"No fucking way." Emma uttered and felt as the wind started to blow with more fury, menacing with plucking trees right from the roots and lifting everything that touched the grounds of Storybrooke.

Emma shot another attack in an attempt to distract Elsa and maybe make the storm weaken, but the ray of light that left her hand punctured through a big angry snowman that protected his Mistress. He fell to the ground with a big hole in his gut and Elsa came to his aid. "Snowflake!" Elsa cried out and went to join him by the side.

"You protected me." She said as her hand caressed her snowman's forehead and the creature whimpered in pain as his whole body began melting. "No, this can't be happening!" Elsa was shocked to see the hole getting wider. She summoned new snow in its place but the shape of her guardian wouldn't retain and his only fate was to melt.

"You!" Elsa glared at Emma. "I wouldn't have hurt you, you know that!" She yelled as she wiped away her tears. "You looked very convinced to…" Emma mumbled. "I don't care how much I…" Elsa stopped before completing. "I won't let you hurt me again." She growled and ice began to rise from the ground and it entrapped Emma's legs in the same way it had done when they were in Regina's office the second time they confronted.

The Queen of Arendelle gathered her magic in her hands but this time it would be for a real attack from which Krystal wouldn't be able to escape, no matter how much it would pain her to hurt the one she loved most in her current sleepless spell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep revising, tweaking and fixing but it seems never to end, so I'm gonna leave it as it is now and see if Emma can still redeem herself.


	13. Chapter 13

Meanwhile, Regina looked inside Rumplestiltskin's shop for anything that could explain the change in Emma's behavior and her suddenly revamped magic. She still doubted the Savior could come to harm anyone and made the pawnbroker's her first stop, instead of following after the angered deputy.

"Are you looking for this, dearie?" Rumplestiltskin startled her while she was looking inside a chest in a corner. "Is that… Eris?" Regina narrowed her gaze on the golden apple her former mentor held in his hand. She looked somewhat shocked to see the mythical  _package of chaos_  but now understood part of what was going on.

"The fruit of discord, as this side of the world calls it." Rumplestiltskin sneered. "Which you happen to be now for our Savior and the Ice Queen." He threw her the apple and she caught it in her hands.

Regina looked at the metallic fruit and then the glowing surface revealed the names Rumplestiltskin etched on the skin. _Emma Swan… Elsa of Arendelle._  She read from the surface. "You twisted little imp!" Regina growled in anger.

It was an ancient weapon used to create war where there was the lightest of sparks, fueling the hatred and fire of strife between kingdoms and people. But the only way to undo Eris's curse was to eliminate one of the opponents, or of the fruit of discord: Regina, in this case.

"An intelligent man picks his battles… but a wiser one finds someone else to fight them, my dear apprentice." He grinned with contempt. "And there is not enough space in Storybrooke for a white and black witch."

It was a win/win for Rumplestiltskin with this curse, for he could either get rid of Elsa or Regina by the end of the encounter with his new tool: Emma. He knew her silent magic had as much potential as Elsa's and with some of the help of Eris he was setting it into motion to fight the final battle in his place.

He still despised Regina for having kept Belle captive and she was the last of Cora's linage to get rid off. No more powerful sorceress with the potential to surpass him, especially not one who wielded both sides of magic and he would make sure he kept his former apprentice either dark, or not at all.

"You're just a coward." Regina looked at him with repulsion. "But then again, when did you ever stop being one?" She said with disdain. "I warned you if I found out you were behind Elsa's torment, I would have no mercy." Regina said as her magic swirled in her hands.

"But it wasn't me who broke your dear Elsa beyond repair, Regina." He half-heartedly smirked as Regina came closer. "Meaning?" Regina muttered. "It was the Savior who put a spell on her weak mind… That poor thing, so confused now." He said while his finger made the globe over his counter spin. "I doubt she will ever recover without my helping hand."

Regina stopped the globe from spinning with her own hand and their eyes met again with hostility.

"A spell you must have procured for her." The mayor grumbled. "Undo it." She ordered.

"Intuitive as always, aren't you,  _Highness?"_  He jeered at her. "Then you should know by now there's going to be a price." He looked at her with superiority and Regina scowled. "I am a businessman after all, dearie." He told her with amusement. "Are you willing to pay it?" He narrowed his gaze.

"What kind of deal did you make with Emma?" Regina asked with disgust, feeling enraged by Emma's low move.  _Of all people to recur to him._ She felt stabbed in the back, again.

"There was no need for a deal, dearie. Let's just say our interests were aligned." He told her. "Well, for the most part." He chuckled.

"Only, you forgot mentioning the price was my head. How convenient for you." Regina growled.

"Yes, how about that indeed? It comes with age, dearie. I'm starting to forget things." He teased.

"I've had enough of you and your twisted deals." Regina growled. "Give me the spell!" She summoned a ball of fire in her hand and threatened her mentor with it if he didn't undo the spell cast on Elsa, but he said only the one who made it active could undo it.

"That's, of course, if you can find it." He giggled like he used to do in their fairytale land and Regina tugged on his vest while making her fireball glow brighter.

"Really, dearie? Who taught you those manners?" Rumplestiltskin mocked as Regina threatened him.

"Your magic can do nothing to the Dark One." He gave her a smug smirk and waved a hand to make the ball of fire turn to smoke in her hand.

"My dark magic might not, but light…" Regina summoned her recently acquired powers with which she defeated Zelena. "Light  _can_  bring you down, Rumplestiltskin."

She shot two white rays of energy toward him and he barely managed to dodge them, and reach for a potion to throw at her; one that made her blind temporarily.

* * *

(Earlier)

Belle had gone to her studio after Regina paid them a visit in the Gold mansion when the hail started raging, but when she noticed the sudden disappearance of her husband, she started to get worried. A bad feeling kept crawling inside her and she went to retrieve a crystal dome from inside one of the doors in the bookshelf.

She put it on her desk and watched with sadness as the rose contained inside it lost another petal. "And just like you, I'm wearing thinner." She sighed deeply.

It was the first rose she received from the Dark One, some time after he took her away from her own palace to make her his maid. The rose that started their romance; the one gesture that assured her there was still some humanity left inside him and what made her start looking at the Beast with more empathy, care and even yearning.

But every rose loses its petals and she didn't want her hope for a brighter future with the Dark One to die like the flower she kept in a small vase over her nightstand. She would often replace its water during the day to extend whatever life remained there and, with a shy smile, she would smell the fragrance the weak rose still offered for her.

Belle would often find herself telling this flower her worries and sharing how much Rumplestilskin was changing, but after nearly a week in her possession the rose had lost most of its petals and seemed drier and weaker, and she didn't want to part from the only thing that gave her solace in that lonely cold castle. She considered this simple rose her best friend, her confident, but also; her own happy ending with Rumplestiltskin.

She was looking at it pensively when the Dark One came to her bedchambers after not hearing an answer when he knocked twice. He grimaced at the image of Belle placing a kiss on the remaining petals and saying her last farewell to the red rose, but it also made him feel guilt. He had isolated her from all human contact and this rose, while it had been a person not long ago, was her only companion to speak to.

"That flower looks hideous!" Belle remembered Rumple exclaiming, but when her glazed eyes met with his, his gaze softened and she watched him move his hands and a crimson mist engulfed the rose to make it recover its previous glow. He then summoned an enchanted crystal dome and she was very surprised with the noble gesture.

"I don't want to see you weeping over a silly rose again. Put it away. You can use this horrible vase I got from an old hag who wanted the beauty of her youth back." He made a humorous gesture with his hands and then left her alone. But she knew he wasn't mad and smiled when she put the red rose inside and magic made it stand proudly in the center.

It was the most beautiful memory she had from their life in the Enchanted Forest and it gave her new hope for this one.

"Maybe I can still stop this darkness." She looked at the rose and then glanced the dagger beside it; the weapon she believed to be real. She considered summoning her husband back to her presence but she was still hesitant, for she didn't want to handle her partner as if he were a puppet.

But the wait was getting longer and with each minute clicking on the grandfather's clock, her worries only got bigger and when she felt the sudden quake shake the earth, she decided it was time to demand from the Dark One to stop this unnecessary madness.

She had seen the hatred Elsa carried in her eyes toward Rumplestiltskin, but she also saw something else: pain, and the struggle of a tormented soul fighting hard to finally find her place in this foreign world that still made Belle feel she wasn't home, and she knew she couldn't side with her husband in this battle. Not when she knew Elsa was innocent and wouldn't harm them if there were another way around their enmity.

"Rumplestiltskin, I summon thee." She said as she held the dagger in her hands and waited… but nothing happened.

 _How strange._  She was confused.  _Did she misspell the name?_ "I summon thee, Dark One." She tried again but suffered the same lack of success and it downed on her like a cold bucket of water. "It's fake." The blue-eyed beauty gasped and went into her room to change her current bedtime attire.

"Just as fake as your trust in me is." The saddened lady said to nobody as she walked out of the manor in the middle of the storm. She took his car and raced in direction of the shop, knowing Rumplestiltskin would most likely be there, to face him with the truth and then…  _move on._

She was driving down Main Street when she saw the tower's clock broken on the ground and heard and watched the explosion inside the old library from afar. She got out of the car and remained still in her spot perplexed, until she felt something very strange grip on her. She turned her gaze down and there she found the source of her sudden surprise.

A small snowman was holding her tightly in his embrace, as big round eyes looked awestruck at the woman he believed to be his childhood play partner. "Anna!" Olaf exclaimed as he hugged her tightly and didn't want to let go. "I found you! I finally found you!" He started jumping with excitement.

"I'm sorry?" The woman looked at him with confusion.

"Well, you should be." Olaf glared. "It was hard but no one can hide forever, Anna." The little snowman said as he released her. "It's no fun." He shook his wooden index finger in disapproval and Belle was very puzzled. "Elsa has been very sad since you started hiding." He told her and the name finally made things fall back in place.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset her." The auburn-haired woman said with guilt. "Do you think if she sees me she will cheer up again?" She asked Olaf innocently and the snowman nodded his head. "Yes! Look, she's over there!" He started pushing her from behind in direction of where Elsa was confronting Emma in the distance.

* * *

(Back in the shop)

"You tricky old man." Regina groaned as she moved slowly, hands touching where she went to guide herself.

"If you think your blinding spell will prevent me from finding you, you're really mistaken." Regina said loudly as she came to the small office in the back of the shop with difficulty.

"It was you who taught me how to perceive your presence and magic." She told him as her senses brought her closer to where the Dark One was pulling out something from inside a protected armoire.

It was better in moments like this not to risk his dagger and keep it close to him, for Regina had once used it to stop him from going after Zelena and he would make sure it didn't repeat. No one would again have control over him, not even Belle and  _never_  Regina. But he also retrieved something else, something even him would be afraid of confronting.

"Well, let's see if my brightest apprentice can find me now." He disappeared in a crimson smoke and Regina stopped feeling his presence but she had to wait until the blinding spell wore off to move with more freedom.

She heard the explosion coming from the library and quickly summoned her purple smoke to travel in direction of the source, and came to find Emma trapped inside Elsa's ice and watched as the Queen of Arendelle got closer to her body with a hand curled into a claw, ready to burrow inside her chest.


	14. Chapter 14

Regina appeared after Emma had pierced through the big snowman with her magic and she came to see as Elsa moved dangerously in her direction with magic glowing all around her. The mayor was thinking how to make Elsa stop in time before harming Emma, when a voice distracted her from contemplating the idea of attacking her own girlfriend to protect the betrayer. Something she really didn't want doing.

"Elsa, stop!" The voice came from another direction and Regina was confounded when she distinguished Belle running to the Ice Queen's side.

"Careful, she doesn't know what she's doing!" Regina yelled to Belle and also approached, but more warily.

"Anna? Is that… you?" Elsa turned to look at the woman with auburn hair and bright blue eyes. "But I saw when Hans killed you." She felt her head spin and hurt.  _How can this be real?_  She questioned, she was sure Hans had thrown her sister off the cliff and the memory was too vivid and still painful. Everything became blurry and Elsa thought she might have finally gone mad.

"Yes, it's me, sister." Belle went forward and wrapped her arms around her, and Elsa was unable to push her away when she felt her warm and very real embrace. "You're here!" Elsa nearly shouted and didn't want to part from her arms again. Her sister was the only person left in this cold cruel world that she couldn't come to harm and whom she would always love no matter what.

"I found Anna for you, Elsa!" Olaf said cheerfully and Elsa smiled warmly as tears gathered in her eyes. She waved her hand in the air and the violent storm almost immediately faded away.

"Please let's forget everything and start anew, Elsa." Belle hugged her tighter and Elsa cried in her embrace. That was all she ever wanted, to recover her sister and start over somewhere far away from Arendelle where the greed of men wouldn't reach them. It would finally happen.

"Anna!" Elsa held on to her tighter, feeling she had finally broken.

Regina used the opportunity to release Emma from the icy restrains, still incredibly angry about her siding with Rumplestiltskin to bring down the Queen of Arendelle. She knew part of her actions were triggered by the influence of the power of Eris, but the fact remained Emma had  _first_ come to Rumple, instead of  _her_. How much of Eris was there to blame? And how much of it was Emma's own darkness bleeding through? The brunette glowered. She might never know.

Elsa heard when ice crumbled to the ground and turned around to see Hans this time helping Krystal break free. "Anna, did you really come for me or did you just come to help them?" She asked with sadness and no desire to continue fighting for a lost case. "They betrayed both of us." Elsa grumbled as she parted from her sister's side, but the rapid movement made her head spin.

"No, Elsa." Belle tried reaching for her hand but her _sister_ took another step back.

 _Could Anna still be under the control of Hans?_  Everything was moving and her memories were hazy, mixing with images that were foreign to Arendelle, and when she looked around her; buildings started to look different. There was no castle and everything seemed strange.  _I am insane._

She almost lost her footing but Regina immediately appeared next to her and helped her balance her body. "Are you alright?" She asked her with worry as she held her in her arms protectively.

Elsa looked at Regina again but this time with confusion.  _Who are you?_ She couldn't tell but she felt safe in her grasp and tried to recognize those dark brown eyes she could see for the first time after half waking up.

"Elsa?" Regina said softly after noticing the different way she looked at her this time.

"Thank you for putting her right where I needed." Rumplestiltskin's voice came out of nowhere and they watched as he waved his hand over the lock of Pandora's box to imprison the Queen of Arendelle once and for all.

Hearing the Dark Wizard's voice made Elsa alarmed and looked with fear into Regina's eyes as she tried to hold her grip in her hands while the void of Pandora's began sucking her inside. Elsa shook her head and those dark brown eyes turned hazel again, but she was too afraid to even let go of the hands of her  _enemy._

"Hans, please, help me." She pleaded, for there was no worse curse than being imprisoned in nothingness with conscience of time, even if your body didn't experience physical needs or aging. Elsa tried to grip on those  _oddly_  smaller hands tighter, but the power of Pandora was too strong and both women were being dragged into the vortex of its portal.

"Rumple, please stop this!" Belle yelled at him and tried to take the enchanted box from him, but he waved his hand to make her paralyze.

Emma watched as the void tried to swallow Elsa and then looked at the horrified face of Regina as she fought to keep her in this dimension.

 _Love is selfless._ She repeated in her inside to fight the other voice telling her this was her real chance at keeping the mayor for herself. There would be no rival and she wouldn't be blamed for Elsa's imprisonment, as it wasn't her hands the ones holding Pandora's box. That small voice kept trying to convince her.

"Emma!" Regina yelled and the deputy was cut from her trance.

"I don't care what happens to me..." Emma said as she looked at Mr. Gold with resolve.

"I owe you your happy ending." She turned to look at Regina and they watched as her silhouette began shimmering golden and walked with a firm step in between Pandora's portal and Elsa's hovering body.

Regina looked at the savior unable to understand what was happening when they watched the void start sucking all of that yellowish smoke coming from Emma's pores, but before it completely left her; Emma used her light magic combined with the power of Eris and shot a golden-white blast in direction of Rumplestiltskin.

He groaned in pain as his body traveled the air and lost grasp of Pandora's in the process, and then the magical box sealed itself after capturing the dark essence of Eris inside it.

With the power of discord sealed away, the influence of the curse on Emma vanished and the savior fell weakly on her knees gasping for air. "What the hell was that?" She asked as her eyes looked up at Regina and the brunette retrieved an apple from inside her pocket. She watched as it lost its gold metallic color and turned into a spoiled fruit with no more power.

"You're free from Eris." Regina mumbled and Emma was somewhat confused.

The savior wasn't the only one feeling lighter, though, as Elsa's own rage toward  _Krystal_ diminished greatly.

"You saved me." Elsa said as Regina helped her stand up and looked at Emma, or rather Krystal, while doing so.

"Well, she did also curse you." Regina grumbled. "It was only right she would make it up to you. Right, miss…  _Krystal?_ " The mayor raised an eyebrow and twitched her lip.

"Yeah…  _Hans._ " Emma returned with the same sass while getting back on her feet and dusting off some ice from her coat.

"Everything is so confusing." Elsa brought her hands to her head. She didn't understand anything anymore, as she was still half trapped inside the sleepless spell only the one who enacted it could break.

"The dream catcher!" Emma remembered and spoke about the enchanted object Rumplestiltskin gave her to place under Elsa's bed. It was what made her loose control of herself with the tormenting nightmares and provoked the destruction around them, but which she couldn't find when she went to the Glass Palace to destroy it.

"He hid it." Regina side glanced the old man laying unconscious on the ground and told them they would be making him return it, for only the person who placed the dream catcher under the victim's bed could make the spell fully broken by destroying it with his own hands.

Rumplestiltskin was slowly recovering conscience while he heard the others exchange words, but pretended to remain fainted until it was a good opportunity to get them with their guards down. He wouldn't let things go so easily for no one could be superior to the Dark One and his power.

When he was hit by Emma's magic, Belle recovered her movement and came to his side after a tree stopped his journey in the air and his unconscious body landed on the snow-covered asphalt. The first thing she did was look for his vitals, but after finding a pulse and feeling his breath; she started looking for something else.

Rumplestiltskin pushed her away when he felt her hand reach inside his vest and got up from the floor with the dagger in his hold. "This isn't for you, darling." He said in low volume and went after Elsa, but when he pushed the dagger forward; it pierced through a different body.


	15. Chapter 15

The mayor's anger toward the savior faded after Emma risked her own freedom to protect Elsa's in the name of Regina's happiness. They were speaking more calmly about the lost relic they needed to recover in order to bring Elsa's mind back to the present and Elsa just kept looking at them unable to make sense of what they were saying, and it hurt her to see their bonded interaction.

In her eyes, Emma was still Krystal and Regina was Hans, and they had both betrayed her and her sister to take the realm from their hands by making them believe they were loved.

But Regina was Regina and their short moment of contentment ended when the brunette couldn't avoid questioning Emma for recurring to the Dark One and not to her. They were too distracted in their little quarrel to look in time when the man in question came charging after the Queen of Arendelle. They heard Elsa scream with anguish and then watched as Rumplestiltskin fell together with the person he wounded.

"Belle!" His hands tried to catch her as she fell, bringing him to his knees and Belle to lay on his lap.

She had followed after him with determination to stop him once and for all. He had caused too much pain all through his dark existence and, even though she loved him with all her heart, Belle couldn't continue standing idle while he harmed innocents out of covetousness. If her own life was the price to pay to make him stop, she would gladly sacrifice it for a higher purpose. So she jumped in front of Elsa and with her body protected the dethroned Queen of Arendelle from the evil wizard.

"Why did you do that?" He asked her with a breaking voice.

Emma and Regina's reaction was to grip on Elsa's arms to prevent her from going after the Dark One, as he was the only one who knew where to find the enchanted dream catcher. But Elsa was too traumatized and couldn't react for the moment, watching as her  _sister_  laid again in a slowly growing pool of her own blood, just like in her nightmare.

"Because there is no good left in you, my dear Rumple." Belle said weakly as her hand went to the tail of the dagger encrusted in her abdomen. He tried to heal her but she stopped him. "Don't." She ordered as her hand came in contact with the metal and Rumplestiltskin felt his body freeze with the command.

"Belle,  _you_ are my goodness, please, let me help you." He said with tears pooling in hazel eyes.

"Then you won't really have anything left when I'm gone." She looked at him with sadness.

"No! We can start over. I will really change. I will do it for us, for our love." He said desperately. "Don't leave me."

"I'm sorry, but there is no longer a choice." She gripped on the dagger inside her but she was getting weaker.

"Belle, please, I can't loose you!" He begged her; unable to disobey now that the dagger had an owner.

"I order thee, Dark One…" She coughed some blood and stopped momentarily to catch her breath.

"Belle, don't do this." He tried to make her stop so he could heal her in time, but his wife wouldn't listen to him anymore.

"Rumplestiltskin… pull out the dagger and pierce through your heart." Belle's tears rolled down as she made the final order to the Dark One with her remaining strength, and Emma and Regina couldn't believe what they were witnessing.

Rumplestiltskin moved against his will and his hands went to rest over Belle's holding a weak grip on the dagger. He pulled the blade out of her body and her blood started to come out with more force until it made a big stain in the snow beneath them. He watched with shock as his wife bled out with nothing he could do to stop it, for he couldn't contravene the last command given to the dagger. He turned the tip around to face him, but kept Belle's hand trapped in between his and the dagger.

"I love you, Rumple." She said in her last breath. Her eyelids started closing and he looked into her azure gaze for the last time. "I'm glad it will be your hand my undoing." He said with tears trickling down and summoned the rose that started their romance, making the enchanted crystal vase appear on the side. "Farewell, my sweet Belle."

He buried the blade inside his chest and a bright light illuminated the both of them, turning Rumplestiltskin into a black fog that slowly vanished and engulfing Belle in a mist of magic that lifted her from the ground momentarily, and slowly landed on the floor with the dagger falling beside her.

With Rumplestiltskin gone, Regina felt her blood turn cold.  _How were they going to heal Elsa now?_  She was shocked with the way this encounter unfolded. Elsa still saw them as her relatives from Arendelle and there would be no kiss powerful enough to break her out of her spell. Emma was certainly  _not_  Krystal and her heart  _didn't_  beat for Elsa.  _There is no hope._ She stood still in her place and her hand loosened the grip on Elsa, allowing her to join  _Anna's_  side but the younger woman was too stunned to move.

Emma went to Belle's side to check for a pulse and turned to look at Regina bewildered.

The blue-eyed beauty opened her eyes slowly and everyone was greatly relieved at least for that part of this condemning battle. Belle's hand then went to touch where her wound had been previously, but there was only a scar left behind and then she saw her hands shimmer with a rosy light.

"No… I shouldn't be alive." She mumbled as Emma helped her stand.

Rumplestiltskin had in his last attempt to keep Belle alive, turned her into the new Dark One. He didn't know if it would actually work, but he had to try if there was still the farthest chance her heart hadn't stopped beating yet. His desperate move didn't defy the last order received through the dagger and, in his last moment with his True Love, he allowed  _goodness_  to provide Belle her best chance. Even if he wouldn't be there to share it.

The auburn-haired woman picked the dagger from the ground and when she saw the blade reveal her own name, she looked at Emma and Regina with resolution.

"Nobody will miss me." She said as she directed the dagger to her heart this time. She wouldn't live with this evil power or tempt others to come try to steal it for their dark purposes. This curse had to end with her.

The dagger was coming to her chest when a familiar voice echoed in a crystal vase and Belle gasped when her eyes distinguished the rose Rumplestiltskin left beside her body.

"I will." The voice had said and made her stop before the blade burrowed into her chest.

She watched as the last petal from the rose fell and then a bright light revealed her long lost fiancé.

"Gaston?" She was perplexed. She had never seen him again after the Dark One took her away from her family. "How?" She was unable to comprehend his sudden appearance.

"I was always close." He said as he came to her side and explained Rumplestiltskin had turned him into a mere rose the day he came in her rescue to the fortress of her captor. With the Dark One gone, his enchantment was broken and he would never again let her part from his side if he could prevent it.

There was still a chance Belle didn't have to die to put an end to the curse of the Dark One, as all it would take was a kiss from True Love, like that time she almost made Rumple recover his humanity with their first kiss.

"But I'm not in love with you." Belle said to him and felt bad for Gaston, but he smiled gently in return.

"But do you have hope?" He asked kindly and Belle wasn't sure what to answer. "If there is something I've learned from you, Belle, is to have patience and hope." He told her as he took her hands in his and looked at the dagger in between them. "No matter the darkness." He assured her and Belle felt not everything was lost.

"Okay…" Emma interrupted. "So what do we do now with this mess?"

She was the only one without a honey to hold hands with and it was still very cold and buildings were cracking and menacing with collapsing around them.

"Can you use your new superpowers to rebuild the town?" She looked at Belle with curiosity.

She remembered the Dark One could summon things out of nowhere and it was worth a shot. He had given her a gown and even a different body in the Enchanted Forest, maybe that kind of magic could also summon new buildings or fix the current.

"Am… I don't know." Belle blinked eyes and looked at her hands. "Should I just… try?" She turned to Regina seeking permission, as she was the most experienced sorceress now in this world.

"You can. You know better than anyone how magic works." Regina assured her.

The princess had spent a good part of her life by the side of the Dark One and knew the limits and rules of magic like the back of her hand. She had come across quite an important deal of magic books in his castle during her years of service and knowledge was her biggest strength, followed by her innate ability to see good where no one else could and bring out the best of any soul when there still was a glimpse of hope.

Belle first focused on the clock tower and in her mind she recalled the image of the building from before it was torn apart. The library started to re-build itself and other buildings followed after she saw the images of the town with even more clarity in her mind. Everything came back to life and when she opened her eyes, the scenery was an exact replica of what she envisioned.

 _Maybe having powers isn't such a terrible curse, if in the right hands_. She thought.

She had never darkened her heart or sought power out of greed, and the magic running in her veins now wasn't tempting her to start this moment. It was just magic; neither white nor black.

"Regina." Belle came to her side and offered the dagger, but the mayor rejected it.

"I gave it to you before and I do it again now, Belle." Regina took a deep breath as she placed her hand over the other woman's. "I couldn't trust anyone else to preserve such a dangerous power. Not even myself." The brunette said honestly as she closed Belle's hand holding the dagger and the younger woman felt moved.

Their own hatred had been wiped clean and this new alliance promised a better future for everyone in Storybrooke, and even Elsa stared in awe at the scenario.

The regal lady in blue came to the side of both women making amends and looked at each other trying to see them as who they really where, but it was still very difficult to fight the spell she heard them speaking was cast on her.

"So you're not my sister..." Elsa commented with sadness and Belle felt her own heart squeeze inside her.

"No, but you can have a family here with us." The blue-eyed woman replied and offered a smile. "And I would love it if you could be the sister I never had." She added and it was an honest wish. She had been lonely for the longest and had no real friends in this town because of her partnership with Rumplestiltskin.

"I know I will never replace Anna, and neither do I mean to, but I really wish you can see a true friend in me." Belle smiled warmly.

"Thank you." Elsa felt her eyes well up with tears again. She had never cried so much in her life, but this time it wasn't for heartbreak.

"I would be honored to have a sister as brave and selfless as yourself, Belle." Elsa made a light bow and then turned to look at the other woman who still looked like Hans, but tried not to react negatively toward this person who all but showed genuine care for her.

"I'm sorry I can't remember you…" Elsa said as she tried to evade Regina's gaze. "Even though I feel you're very important." She said nervously and felt a shiver when Regina's hands picked hers gently. The feeling at first made her hands tickle, but then it was a flutter in her stomach what made her even more nervous.

"As much time as you may need, I will wait for you, Elsa." Regina said softly and Elsa had to turn up her gaze to look into those eyes she wanted so badly to see different from Hans's.

"Regina…" It was Emma who interrupted again and Regina glared. "I will go check on Henry." She said and started walking away, for she didn't want to continue watching the painfully romantic scene.

"I think we will also be going." Belle said this time. "Now that the town has been saved and everything is back in order."

Regina nodded and watched them go. Belle shyly slipped her arm in Gaston's when he gallantly offered to escort her home and they went to the mansion that had become her home after she was set free from her  _second_  captor. They had so much to talk about now that her confident had a voice, and Gaston would be there to help her pick up the pieces of her broken heart.

"Regina?" Elsa mumbled. The name somehow tasted sweet in her lips as she spoke it.

"Yes, dear?" The brunette turned to look at her again.

"What if I never come to remember?" She looked downcast but Regina gently lifted her chin with her finger and looked deeply into those heavenly eyes.

"Then we will build new memories together." The mayor smiled and Elsa blushed lightly.

Hans would never speak like this, or maybe he might, but he wouldn't ever be able to make her feel what she was feeling now inside. Regina's words echoed in her soul and her body felt a magnetic pull toward the brunette. She took a step forward and closed the distance in between them, and looked again into eyes that had no malice. It was only love what she could see reflected in them.

Regina felt her heart pound faster and wanted with all her being to pull Elsa into a kiss, but she didn't want to pressure her and make damage that could destroy the advance they had made so far. If she had to make Elsa fall in love with her again, that would be a task she would be more than glad to turn into her life goal.

Regina sighed deeply and a hand went to brush a strand of hair away from Elsa's face gently. To her surprise, Elsa cupped her hand before she retrieved it and held it against her cheek softly to feel the warmth of her touch with hope to recognize it.

"Did we… love each other?" She asked with innocent eyes and shyness, but also with fear of a negative answer.

"I believe we did, and I hope with all my heart that it can still be real." Regina answered and couldn't avoid staring at those lips she missed kissing so much.  _I mustn't._  She repeated in her mind.

The sun started to rise behind the mountain and Elsa and Regina turned to look at the colorful spectacle nature was showing just for the both of them. It was the light of a new day and they felt hope about starting fresh and living a more peaceful existence for the first time in their lifetimes.

"I should take you to your palace. It is already a new day and you haven't had any rest." Regina said to her and Elsa nodded her head. A purple smoke then engulfed their bodies and made them appear in the balcony of the glassy castle.

"Well, we're here…" Regina looked nervously around her. "And now I should let you sleep. For real." She said as she turned around but her  _stubborn_  hand wasn't letting go of Elsa's.

"What if the nightmares return?" Elsa asked with worry. "I don't want to bring back chaos."

"Well, …" Regina looked at her again. "If I see the slightest change in weather, I will come here in the blink of an eye." She squeezed her hand assuringly.

With difficulty, she released her grip and then turned around to finally make her departure, but Elsa's voice prevented her from parting.

"Stay." Elsa's voice was small but Regina knew she had heard right.

"I'm afraid the next time I open my eyes, I will wake up in Arendelle and realize you were just a dream… A beautiful painful dream." Elsa felt her eyes sting but the immediate embrace of Regina soothed that ache.

"Elsa, my Elsa." Regina's voice was shaky as she spoke. "We share the same fear." She wiped away her own tears and then kissed at the corner of Elsa's eyes softly.

Elsa's heart went racing and she knew she couldn't hold it much longer. What her heart felt was stronger than the false image her eyes showed her. "Regina…" She looked into her eyes and the mayor knew what the Queen of Arendelle wanted.  _Needed._ "I thought you'd never ask." The brunette said as she cupped her face in her hands and leaned forward to let her lips meet with Elsa's in a soft kiss. They closed their eyes to give into that  _new_  first kiss fully, no more holding back out of fear, and then something magical happened.


	16. Chapter 16

Elsa felt the rush of images coming back to her memory and distinguished what had been a nightmare from what had been real. Her hands went to Regina's back quickly and held onto that body with full conscience of whom she was kissing.  _Her True Love._

* * *

 

In the mayoral mansion, Henry opened the door to receive his birthmother and they both went to sit down by the hearth to talk about what had happened. Emma explained as best as she could that Rumplestiltskin had manipulated her and Elsa to fight each other and unleashed the storm that almost got Storybrooke erased from the surface.

Henry had a hard time keeping up with her story and even more with understanding how was Mr. Gold able to achieve it, as Emma avoided mentioning the most important detail that triggered their confrontation, for she wasn't ready to tell him she was in love with his adoptive mother. That was still a secret only the people involved in the conflict knew of and if she said it out loud, she feared she wouldn't be able to control her feelings and shatter.

It was taking long for Regina to come home and Emma decided to take Henry with her and sent a message to the mayor so she wouldn't become worried when she came to find an empty house. "I'm taking Henry to Mary Margaret's." She texted brief to the point and asked her son to retrieve his coat to go outside. "Thank you." Regina replied a few minutes after.

They walked all the way to her parents' apartment and Emma enjoyed sharing this time with her son. She didn't want to be alone right now because she knew in solitude she would become weaker and would give into the pain she felt chewing at her heart. Feeling the way she felt now was the worst curse imaginable.  _Her loss had been her own fault._ She wished someone would rip out her heart right now. _As if it were possible._ She sighed. Her strength had become her weakness; one she couldn't get rid of. Literally.  _Cora was right in the end._

Once inside the apartment, David started asking questions Emma couldn't completely answer. Rumplestiltskin remained the protagonist of this vile encounter, which was true, but not fully. She had after all let her own darkness rise to the surface and he took the opportunity to use it for his advantage. If she hadn't come to him, she wouldn't have made a tool of herself and Regina wouldn't  _hate_  her now. That was a worse fate than getting captured by Pandora's, she thought.

Gladly for everyone, nobody was hurt, as the final battle had taken place in the center of the town where only buildings were damaged, but which had also been promptly repaired. No one would know they had been touched and least would they know it had been by Elsa's hand.

The star waitress of Granny's remained the same innocent girl the mayor was dating and nobody even imagined she wielded magic at all, and Emma convinced her parents that image would be the best to keep  _true_. She knew Elsa just wanted to fit  _somewhere,_  something she could  _very well_  relate to, and didn't want to blow her cover and interfere in her life anymore.  _Let her live her dream._  She ordered herself, for she had already forced Elsa to live the worst nightmares anyone could ever think of.

If she really loved Regina, she would be doing this in honor of what she felt inside her. No more confronting Elsa and no more meddling. She would move to the side and give them the space to rebuild their relationship, if there was still hope for Elsa to come back from that dark world of nightmares mixed with reality.  _I owe it to them._

Emma went to the room upstairs and tucked Henry in what used to be her old bed when she was just Mary Margaret's roommate and friend.  _Those were better days._ She couldn't avoid thinking, back when the curse was just a creation of a ten year old's imagination and she didn't have to carry the weight of a _realm_  over her shoulders.  _The Savior_ … whom she would always  _have_   _to_ be.

Emma was very tired after the long night they had and fell asleep beside her equally tired son. David came to check on them through the partially opened door and gently closed it to avoid making noise that could disturb their well-deserved rest. He then went downstairs and joined his wife at the table after she put little Neal in his cradle to sleep.

"They're sound asleep." He said quietly. "Just like little Neal is." Snow said after him.

The kettle started whistling and David went to pour two cups of tea and came back to join his wife at the table. "Thank you." She smiled at him after receiving hers. "You're welcome, love." David responded.

They started talking about all that had happened since they first met and how their lives seemed always to be surrounded by darkness. They could never find a day of rest and it was becoming too tiring to keep fighting. But they had their children safe now and it was the only thing that gave them the strength to carry on and hope for a brighter future for their family and their people.

David commented Emma hadn't been the same since her return from New York. It was a change that became much more evident once that Zelena was gone and they shared more time together in the station. Mary Margaret had noticed a few things before, but she didn't pay too much attention because of the burden of that curse and her pregnancy coming to term, and later because she was nursing her newborn. Something she missed with Emma.

They agreed she would be talking with Emma about it once she woke up and David would look after their newborn and Henry while they spent some very needed time together as mother and daughter. Snow hoped Emma would open up to her like she once did in the past, but they would see if it was still possible to reach their daughter like that.

A few hours passed and Emma slowly emerged from her room and came to join them in the living room. David was watching the local news and it surprised Emma to see Regina in the screen. But she was the mayor, of course she would be on TV after the storm that impaled Storybrooke, and it made her wonder what had happened between her and Elsa after she left them to check on Henry.

Maybe Elsa was still confused and didn't want to see Regina because she represented Hans in her eyes. It somehow lifted her spirit, but she didn't want to fuel false hope again and reminded herself she had lost her chance.  _Move on, Emma._  She tried to encourage herself, for she was now  _really_  alone in this one.

"I've been trapped in the apartment since I gave birth." Mary Margaret started speaking. "Why don't we go to Granny's and have lunch together?" She turned to ask Emma. "I really need a break from diapers and your father could use some practice." She gave her husband a funny look and David shrugged playfully.

"Practice?" He let out a mirthless laugh. "I'm an expert." He said proudly and then, as if in synch, Neal began crying. His father's laugh startled him, but also his tummy-clock was very close to the feed-me-every-two-hours schedule.

He went to check on the baby in the cradle and brought the upset child to his arms to hush him, but the infant started to cry even harder. "Okay… That wasn't the reaction I expected." The poor man went to the kitchen and prepared his bottle, one handed, to make a point. He gently put it in the baby's mouth and Neal finally was soothed. "See now?" He smirked.

"I don't know…" Emma wasn't very convinced. "What about Henry? He's still asleep."

"I'm perfectly capable of handling a precocious teenager and a little  _charmer_  on my own." David assured them, slightly offended by their mistrust and Emma smiled finding her father so undeniably  _Charming._  "Worry not." He said solemnly.

"Are you sure?" Emma asked a little doubtful, still.

"Of course I am." He answered seriously. "Your father has battled trolls and slayed dragons. I doubt a newborn and a teenager will make  _Prince Charming_  surrender." He said more haughtily.

"Okay..." Emma smiled and Snow smirked.  _Boy, had he no idea._  Now they  _really_  wanted him to face the weight of his words.

"Great!" His wife responded.

"Then let's go, Mary Margaret." Emma went to the door and they left him alone with the two charmers in his custody.

"Good luck." They both said to him and David waved a hand watching them leave.

* * *

(At Granny's)

They took seat in one of the booths and Mary Margaret finally decided to ask her daughter what was happening inside her. She couldn't avoid sensing Emma was hiding something important and the glint in her eyes told her it wasn't pretty.  _A mother always knows._ She felt a light tug in her chest when she saw Emma avert her eyes and bring back  _the wall_  she had forgotten to put up.

"What's wrong, Emma?" Snow asked her daughter with worry but the blonde focused her sight on the mug of hot coco with cinnamon and took another sip. "I don't know what you mean, mom." Emma tried to evade and was lucky Ruby came back in time to interrupt the awkward silence that had followed her answer.

"I didn't order a bear claw?" Emma was a little confused when Ruby left the treat on a small plate beside her ordered dish. "Oh, you didn't?" Ruby pretended to be surprised by her  _mistake_. "Then it's on the house!" The waitress winked an eye. "Thanks, Rubes. I appreciate it." The deputy half-heartedly smiled and Ruby lightly squeezed Emma's shoulder before parting from their table to attend the newcomers.

Mary Margaret noticed the way Ruby looked at Emma; it was as if she knew what was going on with her daughter and wanted her to cheer up.  _But cheer her up from what?_ Snow really needed to know now. She was her mother and had the right to know what was affecting her daughter, but more importantly: she needed to soothe the pain she could see glisten in her  _little girl's_ eyes.

The newcomers turned out to be no other than the mayor and Elsa, and Emma looked downcast after her eyes met with Regina's for the tiniest moment. She couldn't hold her stare and decided to go back to inspect the whipped cream on the top of her hot coco.  _How very interesting._ She entertained herself with the physical properties of whipped cream over a hot surface.  _It doesn't hold its shape long._  The blonde was enthralled by the _amazing_  discovery of the  _melting point_  phenomenon until her mother broke the silence.

"I will never get used to that." Snow commented and finally caught Emma's attention.

"To what?" Emma looked at her mother and then in direction of where she was staring.

"To Regina dating another woman." Her mother replied and finally stopped staring at the  _abnormal_  couple.

"Why?" Emma got curious.  _This should be interesting._

"Because I never knew she had these… this kind of problems." Snow said with a grimace and brought her coco to her mouth.

"What do you mean by  _problems?_ " Emma was  _really_  interested in her speech now.

"Well, it isn't  _right_  to get involved with someone of your same gender  _that_ way." Mary Margaret grumbled and Emma felt incredibly disappointed and hurt. How was she supposed to open up now if her own mother was condemning others for their sexual preferences? And she was criticizing  _the one person_  she had feelings for.

"I guess love works differently in this world, Mary Margaret." Emma muttered and Snow could feel the tension behind her comment, but  _assumed_  her daughter agreed with her and was disturbed by the open homosexuality of her son's adoptive mother.

" _Very_ differently, I would say." Snow's brow furrowed as she pushed food around her plate with a fork in loss of appetite. The sole idea of two people of the same gender finding  _love_  in one another was  _that_  repulsive. "That can't be holy at all." She mumbled and Emma could feel internal combustion. "Definitely  _not_  True Love." She dared add and her daughter just lost it there.

"Who are you to judge what can be True Love from what cannot?" Emma confronted her.

"Emma! Why do you speak to me like that?" Snow asked with surprise. "And I have every right to speak out my mind, considering I have experienced True Love from first hand." She said angrier this time. "You are the very product of that. Something they will  _never_  be able to have."

"Right…" Emma mumbled. "You know what's  _really_  unholy?" Emma asked her mother with a stern tone. "What?" Her mother was apprehensive.

"An old king whose pleasure came from betrothing young maidens." Emma muttered. "At least here  _they-"_ Emma glanced at the couple being criticized _._  "are able to choose for themselves and don't have to keep playing by the role everyone expects from them." She got up from her seat un-ceremonially.

"What are you talking about, Emma?" Snow was lost for a moment.

Emma's words spoke more about her own wish to stop living up to her  _savior_  title and  _princess_  status. _That is not who I am._ She wanted so much to tell her mother. _This is who I am._ She turned to look at Regina's table momentarily and noticed the way everyone around was staring at the queer couple. They were judgmental, but neither Regina nor Elsa seemed to care and Emma wished she could be more like them.  _I want to be free._ She felt she was suffocating.

"I'm talking about Leopold." The blonde answered her mother's question and looked inside her pockets for money. "It makes me sick to know I even share his blood." Emma started putting bills over the table. "But I guess in  _your world_  that was  _right_  to call love." She huffed. "Scratch that. It must  _certainly_  have been  _True Love_." She said a little too loud with sarcasm and people who had been criticizing the queer couple, set their eyes on a new  _object_ of study.

"Respect the memory of your grandfather! He was a great man and a benevolent King." Snow White reprimanded.

"I will when you stop being such a narrow mind who can't see beyond her  _un-charming_ prejudice." Emma replied as she began walking toward the door. "Emma! Come back right now, young lady." She heard her mother yell and it hit the wrong nerve. She slowly turned around to shoot a deadly glare; jaw stuck like her bones were rusted metal.

Who was she to speak to her like she had any rights over her? Didn't she ask her father to ship her to the _unknown_  just minutes after being born? How dare she even call herself a mother when she had all but given her up so easily again when Pan's curse was enacted? She didn't look for another option; she just let go of her without a second thought, again. Only Regina had shown to care and struggle with the hardest decision she was forced to make in her life, but made sure she would provide good memories to make their new lives free of sorrow.

"And just so you know." Emma began before her birthmother said another word. "I, too, am gay." She said for everyone in the diner.

The multitude's gasp sounded like an echo of Mary Margaret's breath escaping and even Regina's eyes opened wider with the way Emma left her mother speechless. It was quite a satisfactory sight, she wouldn't deny it, but also slightly unnerving.  _What had just happened?_  She was very intrigued.

"What do you have to say now about True Love…  _mother?"_  She said the word like it carried acid in her mouth. "Considering I am the very product of it." She winked and Snow could have sworn that was Regina she was seeing, but it was her daughter who was being overly sarcastic and bickering. Maybe Regina had given her more than just new memories when she sent her away, Snow couldn't avoid suspecting and wanted to blame someone else for her daughter's  _misbehavior_  and evident  _confusion._

"Emma! Let's talk about this more calmly in private." Mary Margaret ordered and glared as she looked around her, making every of the eaters turn back to their meals and own chatter.

"I'm picking up Henry." Emma avoided and closed the door behind her.

 _What could Snow White have said that made Emma Swan react like that?_  Regina wondered, but it was so good to hear someone  _other than_   _her_ speak that way to  _the fairest of them all_ , that it made the mayor inevitably smirk contently.

"This must be your doing." Mary Margaret said as she approached Regina and Elsa at their table.

"Why am I not surprised you want to blame me for the mood swings of your hormonal daughter, Snow White?" Regina responded dryly.

"Because you're always behind anything bad that happens to my family." Snow replied.

Regina could feel her vein pulsing in her forehead but took a deep breath and counted to ten after Elsa put her hand over hers and squeezed it lightly.  _Don't give into her game._ She could read from her girlfriend's expression and did her best not to fall in Mary Margaret's trap to make her look like the  _Evil Queen_  in public again.

"I've nothing to do with Emma's change in preferences." The mayor averted her eyes and looked at her plate to ignore the annoying pixie-haired woman. Her food was much more interesting and far more delectable than that sour and dull woman. But also because her answer wasn't completely true, as she, indeed, had a big part to do in Emma's internal struggle. Though not in the way Snow White wanted to make it appear.

"You must have." Snow said sharply. "She is no longer the Emma I used to know. She is more like yourself than even your are." She grimaced at the resemblance.

Ever since her return, she noticed the small changes in Emma's bearing. Glimpses of the mayor filtered through seemingly insignificant details like her choice of clothing, especially in the first days after coming back. She was suddenly more feminine, spoke more properly and even her sweet cravings had diminished greatly. Emma was also much more firm with Henry, kept to herself, and there was this vibe emanating from her Snow had not fully recognized, until now.

She had become so much like Regina, it seemed as if that year away she had spent it with the mayor instead.  _It must have been whatever Regina implanted in her._ And now her daughter was even claiming to be gay? But homosexual women don't have children with men.  _No… She's confused. She was tainted._  Snow convinced herself.

 _Hadn't Emma begun a relationship with Hook?_ But she also cut that tree before it grew solid roots.  _Strange._  You couldn't just stop liking someone like that and turn to the other gender in a blink of an eye.  _There is no in between._  Bisexuality would be even more difficult for her brain to process.  _Impossible._

"It's called growing up, dear. You should try it some time." Regina sneered but Mary Margaret was too angry to continue the discussion. "I will find out, Regina." She finished and turned around to leave the diner.

"Emma, wait!" She caught up with her outside. Emma wasn't as heartless  _yet_ to make her mother walk the way back home.

"Wow, she's really irritating." Elsa commented after the White Queen left.

"You have no idea." Regina sighed deeply and resumed eating her lunch.

It was Elsa's day off and she wouldn't let anything ruin it, not even Mary Margaret's provocation. But she would find out later what had made Emma explode that way with her own mother, if she could even be called that.


	17. Chapter 17

Her arms wrapped tighter around Regina's frame and the mayor knew that moment something important had just happened. Elsa's embrace was needy and her lips were kissing the brunette's with more intensity. What had begun like a shy first kiss was suddenly more confident and it reminded Regina of the one they shared when she took Elsa to their first date outside of Storybrooke; that warm afternoon in the park when she asked her to become her girlfriend.

Regina slowly broke their kiss and held Elsa's face in her hands. She looked into those sapphire eyes and recognized the silver flicker of magic. "Elsa, are you… back?" She asked with hope and Elsa beamed as bright as the sun promised to shine this day after the storm. "What do you think?" The younger woman answered just like she did in Waterville and pulled Regina into another kiss.

Their kiss started to get more heated and Elsa's hands began exploring the mayor's silhouette with fevering desire. Now that she could recognize every curve of her figure she needed to feel her body much closer. "Regina…" She said between smooches. "… my one True Love." She called her and the brunette was surprised for a moment.

She assumed the spell on Elsa had worn off after Rumplestiltskin's death, somehow, because she didn't think she could be worthy of True Love and it almost shocked her to realize the contrary. It was her kiss what brought Elsa back.  _True Love's Kiss._ Regina couldn't quite believe it. _But why did it fail before?_ The mayor was somewhat confused.

When she kissed Elsa in her sleep, Regina wasn't completely accepting of her love for the Queen of Arendelle and it didn't fully break the spell because she was still struggling with her feelings. It was Elsa's love for Regina what had half-woken her and left her trapped in between worlds. Rumplestiltskin knew it would happen this way. He knew Regina wouldn't be able to break Elsa completely out of the spell he procured Emma with. The Evil Queen still believed she was in love with the Savior and nothing would change that, unless she actually found True Love; something the Dark One highly doubted his apprentice was capable of bearing.

Loving her adopted son was a special thing, but having true love for another human being was asking too much from his black magic apprentice. Cora had broken her almost to the point of no repair and then he made the last cracks needed to keep her hopeless and misguided _._  That heart had no chance of embodying True Love of this kind.

 _Villains don't get a happy ending._ Regina remembered her Mentor's words. But now, this moment, she was happier than she'd ever been and she had become a hero not too long ago. Still, there was insecurity stirring the depths of her being and she couldn't fully embrace happiness yet, no matter how much she wanted to.

She had been broken her entire life and then came Emma, an opponent, someone to destroy but for whom she couldn't help but fall in love. The Sheriff had proven to be a more than a worthy rival and when everything was over and she was exposed as the Evil Queen; it was only Emma who didn't see her for that terrible witch. The Savior even pledged to protect her because it was Henry's petition and the right thing to do. But later, neither of them knew why Emma started showing more than just  _forceful_ protection. There was care, understanding, and something more that the now deputy hadn't been ready to assign a proper name to: love. Time was not in their favor.

For Robin she was just a  _second chance_  and  _a great kisser_ , he had told her himself. For someone meant to be her  _soulmate_  that was not a very encouraging answer. And he had even said he would give everything to have Marian back, when they were toasting for the return of Regina's heart. It hurt but she was an expert in concealing her emotions when needed. Besides, whom else would be there for her if Emma continued playing blind and dating the pirate?

She knew she was no more than a replacement to help Robin cope and he went with Marian the moment he saw her appear in the diner, no second thoughts. Regina's hope was left to go down the drain again, but what hurt more than Emma being responsible for the reunion; had been accepting she held on to the outlaw because some  _Pixie-dust_  said so.

No one would ever consider the  _Evil Queen_  romantically, not until Elsa showed her she could still be loved. For the first time in decades there was a more tangible glimpse of happiness for Regina and she only hoped she could fall in love with the Queen of Arendelle through time and bonding. Because loving Emma,  _well_ , that was just hurtful and she couldn't continue suffering. She couldn't live hanging from a thin thread that could tear apart any moment and she wanted more than anything to get over the former sheriff she couldn't get out of her head.

Elsa embodied everything she could have wished for. An equal. She had grown under similar circumstances and could understand her better than anyone, and this young queen was only focused in Regina. She made her feel like she was the only woman in the world for her and that was very lifting. She wouldn't play games and continued assuring her of her feelings.  _She was worthy of being loved._ The darkness of her past didn't deter Elsa from trying to convince her of this.

Regina slowly opened her eyes to see the woman she was kissing so profoundly.  _You found me._  The mayor sighed and closed her eyes again. _And, in you, I've found myself._  She felt her heart fill with light.

Was it just a coincidence or did fate truly exist? It was very curious how their lives had intertwined; the odds of coming together couldn't have been farther apart. If it hadn't been for Emma's accidental trip to the past, she wouldn't have ever found the love of her life.  _It was fate_. Regina believed for the first time in destiny and even thought as Emma as her personal savior. She brought True Love her way in the most unlikely scenario and Regina felt she could forgive the bitter experience she made them suffer in the process.

 _Love, true love, blooms in darkness._ There was no place for hatred in her heart any longer.

It was in moments of chaos and hard decisions when you came to appreciate the small things around you, and made you conscious of how much you would miss them if you were to loose them. Seeing Elsa getting sucked into Pandora's portal while her hands gripped on hers so hard to escape the void, made Regina feel she would loose more than Elsa if she lost grasp of those soft hands. She would be loosing herself and the desire to fight back; life would loose its meaning without the one she loved most and there would be no color blue enough in the sky to replace that of Elsa's eyes.

And then Emma stepped in. She risked her own safety to warrant Elsa's in Regina's name. That was truly selfless and Regina could feel her anger fade into nothingness and forgave the deputy for the trouble she brought with her jealousy. "Emma…" She whispered after breaking the passionate kiss and it wasn't the name her partner expected to hear that moment. "What was that?" Elsa asked slightly hurt.

Regina's phone had played a sound assigned for  _Ms. Swan_  and she pulled it out of her pocket to read the received message.  _I'm taking Henry to Mary Margaret's._  She sighed deeply and Elsa narrowed her gaze.

"She's taking Henry with her." Regina said to a doubtful Elsa and gave her a quick peck on the lips. "We have the day for ourselves, love." She assured her. "Oh…" The blonde smiled and started playing with her long braid and fluttered her eyelashes sensually at the brunette. "Indeed." Regina grinned and typed an answer to the message.  _Thank you._  Thank you for giving me Henry and thank you for bringing Elsa, she wanted to tell her but some things were better left unspoken.

* * *

The sun continued traveling the sky and Elsa watched its light move lazily to fill the palace with its warmth, casting different shadows that slowly moved together with the sun's angle. She was enjoying the view from her position in bed and turned to look again at Regina's face while the brunette peacefully slept. _No sunrise could compare._

She had Regina in her embrace, face over nude chest, and she couldn't think of a better image. Elsa wouldn't be sleeping today, not after everything that happened and she still feared this was the dream that followed the nightmare and didn't want to wake up to reality next. She placed a kiss over dark hair gently. "I love you so much." It was a soft whisper and Regina's lips drew a smile. "And I you." The brunette returned.

"I'm sorry for waking you up." Elsa apologized and brushed a chocolate curl away from Regina's face. "I've been awake for a few minutes now, but I didn't want to part from your side." Regina said with a raspy voice and made her lover smile. "Did you sleep at all?" She asked the blonde. "No. The view was too beautiful to miss for even a second." Elsa said and Regina blushed a little. "You're silly." The brunette said shyly and it made her look much more beautiful and youthful in Elsa's eyes.

"Shall I compare thee to a summer day?" Elsa said softly and Regina chuckled. "Shakespeare?" She asked the blonde but Elsa was confused. "What?" Her brow furrowed lightly. "I thought you were quoting William Shakespeare." Regina responded. "But I see you weren't. We don't have literature from this world in ours." The brunette remembered.

"I have always longed for summer because of my powers." Elsa began. She explained how bad she always felt whenever her magic manifested through cold outbursts, as ice and snow had always played a negative role during her childhood, and it all became worse in her adulthood when her magic created an endless winter in her kingdom.

"We were told our parents died in their trip and my sorrow made the wind blow cold and white snow covered the green lands of Arendelle. It wasn't as bad as the day I escaped Hans, but it brought the longest winter our realm ever faced. Commerce became much more difficult and expensive and the Duke of Weselton started to show his ambition." Elsa continued.

It had been the hardest years for her kingdom and they had to survive with the supplies they bought from neighboring realms, each time more expensive and slower to ship. The Duke of Weselton was making allies and a bigger fortune out of Arendelle's despair to make them bankrupt, but Elsa was willing to pay the price because her magic was what was causing the damage.

Their farmers couldn't grow crops and they couldn't continue exploding the only goods available in their  _—yet to become frozen—_  seas. Fish became their main product of export and could only keep a small portion for their own realm. The crown's treasure steadily decreased but, still, Elsa wouldn't do what her council kept suggesting and nearly demanding.

"They wanted me to get married. They kept reminding me I was of age and starting to let the best of my years pass. They even feared I would soon stop being an attractive choice for the royals of other realms and questioned if I didn't plan for an heir." She sighed deeply and Regina could feel her tension. "I know exactly what you mean." Regina placed a kiss on her shoulder and Elsa continued.

"The vase that entrapped me… That was what took my parents' lives." She said as tears pooled in her eyes. She told Regina about the deal they made with Rumplestiltskin and how the price was to be twenty years from each of them. "They were meant to live longer, but with the transaction they made with the Dark Wizard, the accident came to happen much sooner." Bitter tears fell and she wiped them away with a hand. "That was their price to pay and I had my own tab to cover if I wanted the realm to survive the storm my loss started." Elsa closed her hands into fists.  _The perfect storm._ Everything had come in synch to bring her down of the throne.

"Anna's ball…" Elsa took a moment to breathe deeply. "It was in her honor, but it was more so I could find an appropriate suitor." She looked at Regina and half-heartedly smiled. "I'm glad in the end I didn't let the council convince me I should be married to bring back the days of opulence. It was them who enjoyed wealth; I never cared for such things. All I wanted was to be free and for my people to never suffer hunger. And they didn't for as long as I ruled, but now I will never know what became of my kingdom… Of my sister." The blonde went quiet and her gaze now got lost in the landscape outside her balcony.

Regina could see pain twinkle in Elsa's eyes; the way her voice would always quaver when mentioning Anna, it all showed how fond she was of her younger sister. It made her wish she could've had that with Zelena. She never knew what it felt like to have a sibling and just when she thought she could find out, Zelena took her life away. It made a knot in Regina's throat.  _How could Zelena's pride have been bigger than a second chance?_  She might never understand it. She felt she missed the sister she never got to know and couldn't imagine how much sorrow Elsa had been carrying in secret.

"I was never there for her." Elsa's voice started to break. "Not even when I was in Arendelle." She started sobbing but continued sharing. She couldn't keep her feelings hidden in the confines of a frozen heart, not after finally thawing with the love she had found at last and which was filling her with warmth to put an end to her internal winter.

"I would go for weeks without seeing Anna. I would just keep to my private chambers or the council, and the eventual trip outside the castle to give hope to our farmers." Elsa stopped momentarily to catch her breath. "I would visit everyone _I_   _had to_ , but I would never go to the only person who sought me with pure intensions." Elsa finally broke and Regina moved to hold her in her embrace, but was unable to come with any words that could offer solace. "Until it was too late." Elsa muttered.

"It was my fault she fell for Hans! If I had been more supportive; if I had shown to care; if I hadn't shut her out because I feared hurting her, I wouldn't have pushed her into the arms of her captor and seen her become a puppet of a dark master!" Elsa was both sad and enraged with herself. "Hans wouldn't be King now and Anna wouldn't have lost her heart. Her innocence..." Elsa wept silently.

"Elsa." Regina moved a hand to place it over her closed fist. "I remember your realm as one of the wealthiest." The brunette told her and Elsa was surprised. Regina had been Queen of the Enchanted Forest but it hadn't crossed her mind to ask about everything she knew from Arendelle. But there hadn't really been an opportunity, as they had had quite a hectic time between falling in love and fighting to protect it.

Regina told her she once received an invitation to a ball in honor of the heir of the throne, but she couldn't attend to because she was too busy hunting Snow White and Prince Charming. But that was all she had ever directly received from Arendelle and it wasn't until thirty years later, when they went back to the Enchanted Forest, that she learned more about the current rulers of her former neighboring kingdoms. When they were trying to decipher who had broken into her castle and sought Queen Aurora and King Philip for help.

"Queen Anna is much older than you remember her to be, Elsa." Regina continued and Elsa was even more surprised but it gave her a warm feeling to know her sister lived. "To my knowledge, she was still alive before we came back to Storybrooke, though not in her best health." Regina said with some sadness and Elsa squeezed on her arm lightly. "And Hans?" Elsa needed to know if he was still around. "Just like I had never heard of a Queen Elsa of Arendelle, I never heard of a King named Hans from your land." Regina nodded and Elsa was very astonished.

What did she miss? How long had she been trapped in Rumplestiltskin's vault? There were too many questions that needed an answer. "Please tell me everything you know." Elsa pleaded. "Your sister does have quite her own story." Regina smiled and tried to remember as best as she could.

She told her an heir of the Aesir was Anna's husband; a prince from the north who found home in Arendelle during one of his trips. The story told he had embarked in an own adventure, much against his father's will. Odin was a loving father but a strict conservative King and Baldur was the youngest of three, but the only one the Queen convinced her King to allow fairies to bestow with magical gifts.

"That's as much as Aurora and Philip shared. Though they mentioned there was a song about their love story, one they heard when they went to meet Queen Anna." Regina told her. "But I wouldn't let Philip dread me with his singing. It was enough dealing with the pregnant airhead." The brunette shook her head.

Elsa was astonished with the news Regina gave. Her sister had found someone else, or rather; he had found her. Hans was gone and Anna had even had a child, there was nothing better the former Queen of Arendelle could have possibly heard this moment and pain and regret were replaced by relief. Regina continued bringing good things her way and Elsa couldn't be happier for having found True Love with her.

"My sunny day." Elsa said as she placed a chaste kiss on Regina's hand. "My fresh breath of air." Regina smiled and kissed her temple lovingly. They looked into each other's eyes for a long moment in silence and could almost swear they heard their hearts beat in synch with one another. It was a beautiful feeling and made everything they had suffered suddenly be worth it. _This love made it worth it._

"My love…" Elsa whispered.

They still had the day all for themselves and she would make the best out of the hours she had left with the mayor in her bedchambers. She gave Regina a playful grin and the brunette chuckled. "Again?" She asked and Elsa just nodded. "Now?" The mature woman smiled and Elsa gently pushed her down to lay flat over back in the mattress. "You're solely mine today." The blonde answered and started kissing gently at her neck and enjoyed inhaling the sweet perfume still lingering in olive skin.

Loving Regina's body came naturally for Elsa and she couldn't think of ever wanting anyone else in her bed. Regina was to be her first and last and not even eternity would be enough to satiate the thirst she had of her. Making love to her was magic on itself and the sounds Regina made were pure music from the heavens, she could swear.

Their bodies moved in pace and a sudden blast of Elsa's magic emphasized the moment they reached the peak of their lovemaking. Tiny glowing snowflakes lingered in the air and they slowly started falling as though it was snowing in the inside of the chambers. White little sparkles landed on their nude bodies and shimmered lightly before completely melting all around them. It was a beautiful show playing just for the two of them and Regina watched with amazement as if it was the first time she ever saw magic. Elsa never ceased to amaze her.

Their moment was cut, though, when the mayor's cellphone started ringing. She ignored it the first time but couldn't do when the caller dialed again, she knew he would keep insisting until she finally answered and so, she greeted Sydney Glass with an unfriendly tone.

Ever after returning from the Enchanted Forest, he had been set free from his seclusion in the mental asylum. Regina had let him recover his freedom with the condition of keeping his distance. His face was a sight she didn't want seeing and he had to learn to stay away and stop yearning for that which he couldn't have. He stayed at the margin of events but his profession in the small town would eventually force him to face the mayor.

His reason for calling was he needed an interview for the local channel. The storm had frightened everyone and they needed an explanation from the former queen and current mayor. He was now working for "Good Morning Storybrooke" and Regina's presence was demanded in the small studio.

With a burdened tone, Regina explained her reason for parting but, after the storm and what they had just experienced, she couldn't just leave her lover. "Come with me, please." Regina asked her and Elsa was more than happy to join. She was very curious about the way being a mayor here worked and, after a soothing bath together, both Queens left the palace to now soothe the  _realm_  with an explanation Regina was going to develop for the denizens of Storybrooke.

* * *

Regina went live and said the storm had been an unexpected change in weather they weren't prepared for because their monitoring equipment was outdated and no longer performed as it should. But she would be taking the measurements needed to invest in new technology and avoid getting caught by surprise by the forces of nature again. Only trees in the forest had fallen and they were very fortunate nobody was hurt and their buildings hadn't been affected either. She asked her denizens to feel calm and told them to go on with their lives like it was just any other day, because there was no new evil lurking around them and the storm had since long passed.

* * *

"Hungry?" Regina turned to ask Elsa once in the car. "Famished." Her lady answered and the grumble of her stomach confirmed to Regina she wasn't lying. "Okay." The mayor chuckled and turned the key to start the engine. "Granny's?" She asked tentatively. "Is there any other place?" Elsa returned another question with a raised eyebrow. "Not really." Regina twitched her lip. It was the only breakfast in the small town and she didn't feel like cooking. "Then Granny's it shall be." The blonde smiled and Regina took them to the  _infamous_  restaurant.

After entering the diner, brown eyes immediately distinguished the blonde curls she had once abhorred, later loved, and now… she was _almost_  neutral. She held her stare a little too long in Emma's, trying to decipher  _how_  neutral, but the other woman averted her eyes and then Ruby came to guide them to a table.

"Over here, Madam Mayor." The waitress signaled Regina and smiled widely for Elsa. "Hey! It's your day off. Why are you here, gal?" She asked a little too informal and Regina's glare quickly made her impish grin shut. "Because she's with me, Ms. Lucas. Isn't that obvious?" Regina grumbled and Elsa squeezed on her hand lightly.

"We didn't feel like cooking. And only here I can order double  _anything_  without getting Regina's scowl and a health lecture." Elsa said playfully and Ruby had to bite her lip to avoid bursting in laughter. Regina, of course, was aggrieved and looked at Elsa like she was wearing a potato over her head. "Because you're not having a heart stroke under my supervision." The brunette grumbled. "Okay… I will be back in a moment to take your order." Ruby took the opportunity to flee. "My Sun, it was just a silly joke." Elsa smiled. "Well, kind of…" The blonde bit her bottom lip remembering the double chocolate chip cookies, the extra whipped cream in her coco and the double bacon she once had after Grumpy talked her into it.  _Sigh._

They sat in a table for two and ignored the looks of people who continued glancing at them and murmuring about their queer relationship. Regina softened and beckoned Elsa to come closer. "So that's why you feel a little fuller." She said in her ear. "Do my curves bother you?" Elsa quirked her eyebrow. "Absolutely not. Quite the contrary." The brunette brushed her stiletto suggestively against Elsa's leg and licked her lips. "They're my favorite dessert." The mayor said in sultry voice and the blonde's face turned bright red in embarrassment. "Regina! Behave." She scolded and Regina chuckled. "Now we're even, naughty girl." The mature woman smirked.

Ruby came back to take their order and after several minutes more, their food made it to their table. They were enjoying their late lunch until Emma's loud voice made them and everyone else turn their attention to the  _Charming's_  table.

"I will when you stop being such a narrow mind who can't see beyond her  _un-charming_ prejudice." They heard Emma raise her voice and watched as she walked toward the door. "Emma! Come back right now, young lady." Mary Margaret yelled at her and made Emma freeze in her spot and then turn around to assume a stiff posture.

"And just so you know…" Emma began before her birthmother said another word. "I, too, am gay." She said for everyone in the diner and Regina was somewhat shocked but highly pleased to see her finally stand up to her mother and face her with the truth. A little too late for her taste, though, but some things were just not meant to be.  _They weren't meant to be._

 _What could Snow White have said that made Emma Swan react like that?_  Regina wondered, but it was so good to hear someone – _other than_   _her–_ speak that way to  _the fairest of them all_ , that it made the mayor inevitably smirk contently.

"This must be your doing." Mary Margaret said as she approached her and Elsa at their table. "Why am I not surprised you want to blame me for the mood swings of your hormonal daughter, Snow White?" Regina responded dryly. "Because you're always behind anything bad that happens to my family." Snow replied.

Regina could feel her vein pulsing but took a deep breath and counted to ten after Elsa put her hand over hers and squeezed it lightly.  _Don't give into her game._ She could read from her girlfriend's expression and did her best not to fall in Mary Margaret's trap to make her act like the  _Evil Queen_  in public again.

"I've nothing to do with Emma's change in preferences." The mayor averted her eyes and looked down at her plate to ignore the annoying pixie-haired woman. Her food was much more interesting and far more delectable than that sour and dull woman, even if it came from Granny's kitchen. But also because her answer wasn't completely true, as she, indeed, had a big part to do in Emma's internal struggle. Though not in the way Snow White wanted to make it seem.

"You must have." Snow said sharply. "She is no longer the Emma I used to know. She is more like yourself than even your are." She grimaced at the resemblance. "It's called growing up, dear. You should try it some time." Regina sneered but Mary Margaret was too angry to continue the discussion. "I will find out, Regina." She finished and turned around to leave the diner.

"Emma, wait!" She caught up with her outside. Emma wasn't as heartless  _yet_ to make her mother walk the way back home.

"Wow, she's really irritating." Elsa commented after the White Queen left. "You have no idea." Regina sighed deeply and resumed eating her lunch. It was Elsa's day off and she wouldn't let anything ruin it, not even Mary Margaret's provocation, but she would find out later what had made Emma explode that way with her own  _mother_ , if she could even be called that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Baldr is the youngest sibling of Thor and Loki in mythology. This is not really a crossover with the movie Thor, but rather just picking up a nice character for Anna, since I made Kristoff - Krystal. lol


	18. Chapter 18

The ride back to the apartment was uncomfortable to say the least. Emma wouldn't even turn to look at her mother and Mary Margaret was cautious enough to remain quiet. She would discuss this matter with her husband first and then speak with Emma about it more calmly. They were her parents and only wanted the best for her, and would be confronting Regina – if she had put some kind of spell on their daughter to steer her away from her family and resume her age-old vengeance.

 _I thought she had changed._  Mary Margaret said in her inside, remembering the brief moment of bonding shared when they summoned Cora's spirit in the mansion to find more about the secrets buried deep in the past between their families. She looked out her window as they passed the station, the school she once worked in and trees that were finally starting to bloom late in spring with the friendlier weather.  _Oh, Emma._  Snow didn't know how to approach her.  _What if it was true Regina wasn't to be blamed?_  She sighed.

They arrived to their building and went up the stairs to come to what had been once their home, but which no longer felt like that for Emma. She exhaled heavily and knocked on the door but there was no response from the other side. "Maybe David's busy with the baby." She mumbled and looked at her mother for the first time since their quarrel. "Let me find my keys." The pixie-haired woman responded and started looking inside her purse. "Found them." She pushed the key in and turned it to open.

They went inside the living room and Snow smiled when she found her husband sleeping with the baby in his arm. The TV was still on and she moved to shut it down. She went to place a kiss on David's forehead next and noticed baby powder on his face; smiled at the vision and carefully picked the baby from his father's arm to bring him to his crate. She tucked the _little charmer_  in and noticed a pile of diapers on the floor that weren't really dirty, but were rather useless. "Looks like he pulled too hard on the tapes." She chuckled at the mess left behind him. "Four times, really?" But other than that, he had done a good job — if you also ignored the mess in the kitchen. There was formula all over the counters; it looked like Charming had made it a sport to prepare milk bottles one handed, with the baby crying in the other.

"I will check on Henry." Emma said to her mother and went upstairs, careful not to make unnecessary noise because of the  _sleeping beauties_  in the lower level. "Henry?" She knocked on the door but there was no answer.  _Could he still be asleep?_  Emma wondered and decided to let him rest some more. She went back downstairs and sat at the table and Mary Margaret began speaking in low volume — not to wake up anyone, while preparing hot coco for the two of them in the kitchen.

"I'm not  _cursed_ , Mom. But I don't wanna talk about it." Emma grumbled but her mother insisted, though there was no more yelling or hostility in her voice. "You must understand this is so sudden, Emma." Mary said after her, while slipping a mug across the table for her daughter and sitting down. "I… I _know_ … it's just that — I don't know — I guess I couldn't hide it any longer." Emma looked at her mother with reddened eyes. "I've had these feelings for so long but I didn't want to face them — to accept them. I never imagined I would come to love her this way… or at all _."_  The blonde sighed and took a sip from her coco.

"Whom?" Her mother asked and narrowed her eyes on her. It was already somewhat disturbing to hear her daughter mention a 'she' instead of the 'he' she had hoped for. Emma looked down at her mug to avoid her gaze and bit her lip. Could she tell her?  _Not really._  Mary Margaret already believed Regina had put some spell on her; imagine if she told her it was the  _Evil Queen_  whom she had fallen for. "I'm not ready to share that. I hope you understand." Emma replied. "Whenever you're ready, Emma, I'll be here." Her mother smiled but Emma wasn't sure Mary would really wait before asking again.

Several minutes of silence passed and the blonde decided to get up and try again with Henry. It had been plenty of time for a nap and he should have woken by now, and she didn't really want to spend the rest of her day in that place after the shocking revelation she made to her mother — to all of Storybrooke, actually, and endure the way Mary Margaret kept looking at her from time to time — full of questions _. Understandable, but unbearable._

"Hey, I'm coming in." She said as she pushed the door open. "Wait, don't!" Henry yelled but he was a little too late and his mother stepped inside the room and, inadvertently, into a figure he had spent a good amount of time drawing on the floor. He had brought with him the secret spells book Regina gave him and was practicing in secret. He had been studying the elfish language in his free time, to understand the spells better, and really wanted to test his very  _customized_  spell.

"What's all of this, kid?" Emma asked confusedly as she looked around her and then something strange happened. She felt a sudden breeze and saw a circle of light glow briefly on the floor at the same time. "Woah! What the hell was that?" Emma asked bewildered and Henry huffed. "Hey! That wasn't for you." His brow furrowed. "Seriously? Magic?" Emma went near the bed. "Where did you get this?" She picked the old book from the mattress. "Did you steal it?" She eyed him with suspicion. "No. That's mine. My mom gave it to me." Henry replied and snatched the book from her hands. "Okay… I will talk about this with Regina later." Emma muttered and forbid him from practicing magic without supervision of either of them. Henry complained about not being a little boy they still had to  _baby,_  but Emma didn't care and reminded him he was still underage and had to abide to her orders.

"What was that spell about, anyway?" Emma asked and Henry's cheeks turned rosy. "Nothing that matters, Mah." He replied and Emma raised an eyebrow. "It matters because it seems to have affected me,  _Merlin."_  His mother tried to read the page with the spell but couldn't understand a thing. She was more of an  _instinctive_  practitioner and a terrible student. Regina's worst student, actually.

"It's supposed to bring good luck…" He looked downcast and Emma imagined the full answer. "Let me guess… With girls, huh?" His mother asked and he nodded. "Yeah… If someone has secret feelings for you, it makes them surface." He told her with embarrassment and really wanted to bury his face in the ground like an ostrich, but he hid it behind a pillow instead. " _Good_  feelings, of course. It's white magic… sort of." He bit his lip. "Define ' sort of ', Henry." Emma came to sit on the corner of bed. "I may have googled spells and mixed them with the guidelines of my mom's book." The teenager sat on the floor and started cleaning up his mess of candles, rune stones and —  _was that honey?_  Emma's brow furrowed.

"Really?" Emma didn't know what else to say. She didn't feel like lecturing her son this moment. "Finish quickly so we can go to Belle's shop." She got up from bed and went to the door. "What for?" He asked curiously. "For help. Regina would kill us if she found out you're messing with spells." She raised an eyebrow at him. "Nah, she wouldn't. The book is mine; I can use it. I'm old enough." He said firmly. "Dude, I know her. I bet she forbid you from trying spells without her." The blonde scowled. "Yeah… well."  _Busted._  He twitched his lips. "Let's go, Henry." His mother waited for him to bring his backpack and go downstairs.

When descending the stairs, Emma wasn't surprised to see Mary and David standing by the foot of the staircase waiting for her. "Emma, can we talk for a moment?" Her father asked gently but she rolled her eyes at them. "Nope." She said as she guided her son to the door. "It's important." David tried again. "Maybe later, after we visit Belle. She must feel lonely after all what happened and we want to be supportive." Emma said dryly and Henry was surprised by her coldness toward gramps. "What's going on?" The teenager asked. "Nothing, buddy. See you later when you come back." His grandfather smiled warmly and Henry turned to look at his mother with suspicion. "Bye." Emma said to her parents and left together with him.

When they got to the pawnbroker's, Emma felt flustered to find the shop closed. But it was understandable, since Belle had to be mourning her loss and it made her think about what kind of explanation they would have to confect for Storybrooke about Gold's decease. It wouldn't be long before the news of his  _missing_ state spread and she needed to look after that with the mayor.  _Great._  More reasons to see Regina kept appearing and she was the last person she wanted to face. She was still hurting for having lost her and needed time away, which would be virtually impossible because they shared a son. She sighed. _Time to get over it._

"I'm hungry, Mah." Henry said to her once they were back inside the bug and her own grumbling stomach reminded her she hadn't eaten because of the unpleasant talk that happened with her mother. "Okay, we'll go to Granny's and then to…see Regina." She said with dread and he looked at her curiously but decided not to ask about it.

* * *

"Emma!" Ruby exclaimed when she saw the blonde come through the door to the diner. "So good to have you back." She beamed brightly and Emma was somewhat puzzled. "Okay…"  _Weirder than usual —_ She thought but paid it no mind. "Over here! Let me clear this one." The werewolf said as she approached a table where a couple had just ordered the bill. "You were leaving, right?" She ushered them away and they were very confused but left their seats when she started sprinkling detergent over the table to wipe it clean. "Ah, keep the change – I guess." The man said after leaving a $50 and quickly helped his wife stand. That was like a 30% tip. "What's wrong with her?" He asked his wife as they walked out and she shrugged. "No idea."

"Um… Thanks, Rubes." Emma sat down and shook her head. "So…" Ruby leaned over Emma, cleavage at face level. "What would you have me  _give_  you  _tonight_  — today?" She asked and Emma's mouth gaped. The blonde cleared her throat and then turned to Henry, who was baffled but had a good idea of what was going on.  _His spell worked._  He bit his lip not to chuckle and Emma had no idea what was going on in his mind. She didn't actually think his spell could work, since love was impossible to achieve through magic. But this wasn't a love spell — so to speak — but an attraction one that only exposed feelings that were already there.

"Henry, what would like to order?" His mother asked. "Burger and fries." He answered. "Make it two, please." Emma flashed a smile for her friend and Ruby's cheeks flushed lightly at the vision. "Have I ever told you you're most beautiful when you smile?" The waitress said without thinking and surprised even herself. "Huh? Not that I can recall… But thank you — I guess." Emma answered nervously and Ruby quickly regained her composure. "I don't know where that came from." The brunette averted her eyes momentarily. "But I totally meant it!"  _Bang._  Her mouth betrayed her again. "O.M.G. Be back soon with your order." She turned around like a robot and disappeared behind the kitchen door nervously.  _Da fuck was that?_  She asked herself while leaning against a wall in the kitchen, breathing agitatedly.

Henry asked Emma about what had happened in the apartment with his grandparents, but his mother told him she didn't want to talk about it this moment. She only shared she had some  _friction_  with her mother but they would be discussing it later, when things cooled down and she felt more comfortable speaking about it. "Did you come out?" He asked out of the blue and Emma choked on her own saliva. "What?" Out of  _anything_  he could guess, this was his first — and incredibly accurate — shot?  _Hell._   _Did it show so much?_  "You're pretty gay, mom." He said without meaning to be rude but it was about time his mother accepted what was obvious. "Geez. Thanks, son." Emma grumbled. "It's not a bad thing, you know." He commented naturally. "Enough." Emma muttered.

Stacy, another waitress, delivered their order and several minutes passed in silence. "Is it Ruby?" He asked as he looked from behind his burger at the brunette now attending a different table, but who kept glancing at Emma every now and then. "I'm not having this conversation." His birthmother blurted and focused on her fries, shoving as many as she could to avoid her son's interrogation. "She's pretty and very cool. I wouldn't mind if you two — " He was cut off by his mother. "NO." Emma glared. "Fine." He rolled his eyes and resumed eating in  _near_  silence. "That's what I get from being supportive." He grumbled. "I can still hear you." Emma reprimanded.

The sun started to set by the time they finished eating. Perhaps it was better to wait until tomorrow to call Regina and tell her about the embarrassing spell their son had created, and which seemed to be working, but even thinking about it made Emma feel ridiculous.  _Better not mention it at all._  She decided and they left to get distracted in the only videogame shop of the small town with  _old school_  games she still liked playing. It would be good to have some bonding time after having made dinner almost as insufferable to Henry as Mary Margaret made lunch for her.

They got to the store and had a look around the Atari and Nintendo games. The salesgirl was a cute Asian who liked wearing big fake glasses, and with whom Emma had only crossed words a couple of times while looking for a present for Henry, back when she had recently arrived in Storybrooke and decided staying for a week to get to know him better and make sure he was safe and loved.  _Totally awkward girl._  Emma still remembered an occasion where she showed a little too interested in her story and asked about her time in prison — after Sydney's publication in the newspaper — and if it was true what they said about "prison wives." Emma had avoided this shop ever after that visit.

"Hey!" The geeky girl waved her hand shyly and joined the two at the testing/gaming section in the back. "It's been a while. How are you?" She asked Emma and smiled at Henry. "Hey…" It took a moment for Emma to recall her name but was saved by her son. "Hi, Dena." Henry smiled at the salesgirl. It was easier for him to remember her because he used to spend some good time here during his weekends, before receiving the fairytale book from Mary Margaret. "Dena,  _right._  I'm good…and you?" Emma asked and watched as Henry went to play.  _Shit. Don't leave me alone._ His mother gave him a  _rescue me_  look but he ignored her. _Oh, sweet vengeance._

"I'm great! It's SO cool to see you here." The girl fidgeted on her sneakers. "Yeah… Thought I should bond with the kid — Well, teenager. God, he's really not a kid anymore." Emma looked at him as he played Donkey Kong. "Mhm." The petite girl nodded and was suddenly much closer and made the deputy nervous. She was pretty but looked to be  _hardly_  twenty.  _Asian genes or jailbait?_  Emma wondered and took a step back smoothly, retrieving a videogame from the box with a ' clearance ' sign to pretend busyness.  _Go away._  She almost prayed mentally.

"That one isn't very entertaining." The girl moved closer again and took the game from her hands, brushing her fingers lightly over Emma's  _unintentionally._  "Here… This one is better." She said almost in her ear while replacing it. "Prince of Persia," Emma read. "I really liked this one, but I don't have the old tech to play it." She smiled as she put it back in the box. "Not a problem." Dena said. "You know… you're welcome in my place to play  _Prince_  — if you like." She offered in sultry voice.  _Wait what?_  The girl took a moment to catch up with her own offer. Emma's face turned a deep red getting the wrong message.  _Or was it the intended message?_  "Say that again?" Emma blinked eyes and stared. "Or Sonic. Here. In the store. Nothing compromising. Just a date."  _Damn._ The girl covered her mouth. "What am I saying?" The poor girl blushed brightly. "I think I will join Henry." Emma offered an awkward smile and nearly ran to her son's side.

"You're lucky you're deputy and that gramps is sheriff, AND that my mom is the mayor." He teased and Emma glared at him. "Y'know, just in case you need to be bailed out, Mah." He really enjoyed pushing his mother's buttons. "Hideous brat." Emma pinched him hard in the arm. "Ouch! Okay, sorry." He rubbed his arm and paused the game. "I'm taking this one." He took the game to play it home in his Nintendo. "No, you're not." She went straight to the exit and shot him a stern look. "That's why I said — I'm not taking this one." He forced a smile as he left the little box and joined his mother. "Bye, Henry!" Dena smiled and waved at him. "Eh… See you around, Emma?" She asked with mixed hope, shyness and embarrassment. "Probably not." The blonde answered. "Uh — O.k." Dena still smiled and went back to work.  _At least I tried._  She shrugged it off.

 _Creepy day, or what?_  She shivered and Henry had to contain his mocking smirk. Was it the news of her _coming out_ spreading _,_ or had Henry's spell turned her into a chick magnet? She wasn't sure, but it was so awkward to be hit on by such a young-looking girl. Though, she couldn't deny the close view of Ruby's cleavage earlier had been mouth-watering. Curvy women were more her thing, especially if they came with a bad temper and overflowed with sarcasm.  _Sigh._ Did she just describe Regina?  _Bleh._

* * *

 _"_ So, what's the next stop?" Henry asked as he fastened his seatbelt. "Or are you taking me to Mom's, now?" It was Sunday and tomorrow would be a school day. "Hmn…" Emma considered it. Seeing Regina would be the  _real_  test to know if it was the effect of Henry's spell, or just her  _queer-single-and-looking_  status. "Is she even home? I don't know if you're staying with me for the week or with her. We haven't really discussed the terms of our  _shared custody_." She told him. "Woah — You really sound like divorced parents." Henry mumbled as he lowered the window to let the evening breeze inside the car. "It's getting warmer." He commented and Emma lowered her window, too. "You're right." She noted. "We will have a nice summer soon."

"Hey, do me a favor and ask your mother at what time does she expect you home." Emma asked him and, as if in synch, Henry's cellphone began ringing before he even pulled it out of his pocket. "Wow! You got psychic powers now?" He chuckled and answered the call. It was, indeed, Regina and she wanted to know what he was doing and if he wanted to spend the week home with her, or with Emma. He told her either place was fine with him but knew, by the sound of her voice, that she wanted him under her roof. She had just left Elsa in the palace by the mountain and told him there was lasagna in the oven waiting for him.  _What a coincidence._  Henry smiled. Regina knew very well this was his favorite dish and he couldn't say no to a good plate of Italy's gift to the world. "Sold." Henry answered and Regina chuckled. "Okay, I will wait for you." His adopted mom told him.

"You chose lasagna over me?" Emma raised an eyebrow at him. "Sorry not sorry." He flashed a playful smirk. "It must be some pretty  _damn_ good lasagna, since we pigged-out not long ago and you're ready to pack some more." Emma said accusingly. "I'm growing." He grinned at her. "That you are." She smiled warmly and continued driving.

"Okay, we're where the lasagna is." Emma parked the bug in front of the manor and Henry got out of the car, but Emma was hesitant to follow behind him to walk him to the door. She  _wanted_  to see Regina, but she also didn't.  _Did that make sense?_  She rested her head on her arms over the wheel over-thinking, but the knocking on her window made her come back to the present. "Ma?" Henry asked. "My mom wants to speak with you." He told her and she groaned. "Fuck…" She grumbled and dragged herself to Regina's porch.

"You wanted to see me?" She asked tiredly. "Yes, Ms. Swan. Do come inside." The mayor moved to the side and allowed her entrance, but didn't know why her eyes lingered a little too long on Emma. Her thoughts stopped for a moment and her heart rate increased as she watched the blonde come inside her house. "Ahem," the brunette cleared her throat and shook the feeling away. "This way." She guided Emma to the studio and Henry went to his bedroom to get comfortable while supper finished cooking. It turned out Regina had  _just_ put it in the oven, because she wasn't sure Henry would say yes.

"May I offer you a drink?" Regina asked Emma and approached the bar to prepare one for her. "No, I'm fine." Emma answered and the brunette could sense the distance she was pushing in between them. "Why have you summoned me?" The blonde asked directly. "To speak about the incident at Granny's." Regina answered while pouring a glass of white wine for herself. "That's in between Mary Margaret and myself, Regina. No offense." Emma responded and started walking to the door. "If that's all; I've got things to do, Madam Mayor. Excuse me." She put her hand on the knob but Regina's hand quick over hers prevented her from opening it.

"I don't." Regina said sharply. Emma looked down at their hands and felt her heart race inside her; she pulled it away and took a small step back because the brunette had come  _too close_  to her  _liking._  "What?" Emma shook her head in confusion. "I don't excuse you, and it isn't only between you and your mother." Regina told her firmly. "It so is, Regina." The deputy muttered. "No. It would've been, hadn't Mary Margaret come at me with false accusations of a spell I supposedly cast upon you." Regina said with anger and closed their distance once more. "But that's — " Emma tried to speak but the mayor interrupted. "That's something you have to clarify to your mother. I'm not going to tell you  _how_ , but you  _will_  keep her out of my sight." The mayor was firm.

Their gazes locked for a moment and the invasion of personal space became much more noticeable for the both of them. Regina's eyes briefly sat on Emma's rosy lips and she brought her glass of wine to have a big gulp, at the same time took a step toward the sofa and away from the blonde. Emma stood blankly for a moment in the same spot, unable to think, move, or even breathe. She inhaled deeply and followed behind the brunette — something she'd always found herself doing, though this time nervously.

Emma sat on the small couch across from Regina, like the first time she came to the mansion, and fidgeted while watching Regina take another drink from her glass. She observed those ruby lips moistened with liquor and her gaze trailed down together with a small droplet that rolled down the corner of the mayor's mouth, but which was quickly wiped away by Regina's thumb. _Focus-focus, Emma._ The blonde blinked eyes and licked her suddenly dry lips.

"Is there anything else you wanna talk about, Regina?" The deputy asked. "Me? Oh — Yes, of course." Regina was caught off guard, as she had been staring at Emma's lips while the blonde unconsciously licked them during the small moment of silence. "Henry's custody," said the mayor and the deputy nodded. "Yeah, I've been meaning to talk about that as well." The other woman answered and wished she had accepted the drink before. This wouldn't be a short talk, or an easy one. "Good. Then we're on the same page, Miss Swan." Regina put her glass over the table and smoothed out her skirt, like she often did when changing to serious political matters and Emma felt her mouth go dry again.

"Hey, is it too late to change my mind about the drink?" Emma offered an apologetic smile and Regina's lips drew a smile that was  _too fucking beautiful_  for the green-eyed. "Of course not. What would you have me procure you with?" the mayor asked as she got up and went back to the bar.  _MMM… How about you?_  Emma's thoughts began to trail off. "So?" Regina narrowed her eyes on her. "Just water, if you have there." The blonde replied and Regina's brow furrowed. "Going light on me, Miss Swan?" The brunette teased and raised an eyebrow. "Last time I had a drink with you, I crashed my bug against the town's sign and woke up in jail — so, yeah. Light sounds about right." Emma responded seriously but made Regina chuckle — and it was  _glorious_ to hear it.

The bell in the kitchen rang. "Oh, please excuse me." Regina apologized and went to pull the lasagna out of the oven. She put it over the kitchen island to let it cool down a little and called Henry to come help set the table. "I think I should go now. I will drop by the office tomorrow to set a schedule." Said Emma and turned around to start walking toward the door to leave. Regina watched blonde curls sway as Emma sauntered to the door and her mouth was faster than her brain for the first time in a lifetime. "You're not staying for supper?" Her voice came out with dejection and even Henry was baffled.  _Didn't they hate each other? Weird_ , but a lot had passed and they had changed so much since the day they first met, it was understandable — no; expected, they would come to terms with their hatred. He went to sit down in his preferred chair by the right of his adopted mother's and waited.

"Huh? I didn't know I was invited?" Emma turned to look at Regina with confusion and then to Henry.  _The spell?_  She locked eyes with him and he grinned. "Please don't make me say it, Emma." Regina grumbled as she brought the lasagna to the center of the table. "Have a seat." Regina ordered and served her plate. "Thanks." Emma smiled widely and Regina mirrored it, feeling warmth invade her. They shared supper like a family; one neither of them chose, but it was very harmonic this time —nothing like the one they had when Elsa had just recently come to town.

Regina asked about their lives in New York, curious about the world beyond her town-line, and kept smiling as both shared details of the places they loved most from the big apple, and grimaced at the not-so-good parts; which were mainly the first weeks of school for Henry. He entered mid-through the course and was subject to some bullying, but he assured his adopted mother it stopped after he defended himself. He enrolled in taekwondo and learned how to protect himself from those lousy bullies that turned out to be mostly  _talk_  — luckily for him — and made many friends out of the kids who were bullied before him.

"They kind of saw me as their protector." Henry shared with a chuckle and Regina beamed brightly, proud of her  _little prince_.

After he shared that part of his experience in the  _outside world_ , they began talking about the shared custody and came to an arrangement, considering Henry's say in the matter through the course of their  _unbelievably_  harmonic supper. It seemed surreal for Emma to share this warm moment with them and was now convinced Henry's spell had worked — it sure was giving her luck, and secretly hoped Regina would offer something slightly  _warmer_ , once Henry went upstairs after helping with the dishes. The time came for him to  _finally_ do his homework, after procrastinating with magic, and Emma found herself walking to the  _death trap_  with the Mayor.  _Shocking._  She put her hands in her back pockets and fidgeted as Regina stood close to her and the parked car.

"Thank you for supper. It was really delicious." Said Emma and smiled nervously. "You're most welcome … Are you sure you don't want to take some home?" Regina pointed back to her house. "I could pack you some leftovers." She offered. "Nah, I don't want to be abusive." Replied the blonde and Regina raised an eyebrow. "You're not. I'm offering you." The brunette scolded and Emma sighed.

"Can you really not see I want to get along with you and have a healthy relationship for the sake of our son?" Regina said with a little anger and struggle. " _Our son…_ yes. You're right." Emma half-heartedly smiled. "Yes." Regina took a step closer and picked Emma's hand in hers. "And for us." She said and Emma was astounded. "Us?" She asked hopeful. "Emma…" Regina took a deep breath. "I may not be in love with you, but I  _do_  love you." The brunette said with kindness and Emma wasn't sure if she felt sad or happy with the information. A pair of tears trickled down without her intention and Regina felt her heart squeeze inside her, and squeezed Emma's hand still in her hold. "Sorry. Something got into my eye." Emma looked away.

"Emma. In a different time…a different world; I would've been yours. But this is what we have now and I offer you my unconditional friendship — if you want it. My doors will be open; my ears ready to listen, and my arms will welcome you — should you ever need comfort." The mayor said with pure honesty, even astonishing herself with the huge offer, but it was too late to back out — and she  _never_  backed out on her word. "This I promise you."

Emma felt a knot in her throat and couldn't speak for a moment. She breathed deeply and just looked at Regina with mixed feelings. "Emma." The brunette called her. "We're family, and will always be." Regina said. "For as long as we have Henry in our lives." She quickly added — not to imply too much. "Thank you." Emma found her voice and put her own hand above Regina's and pressed lightly. "I appreciate it." She let go of her hand and retrieved her own. "I should be leaving now. I'm expected at Mary Margaret's." She said with dread and Regina nodded. "Of course." The mayor responded and braced herself.

Emma turned around and went to the driver's door. She got inside and looked through the window at Regina; inhaled deeply and turned her key to start the engine. She was pensive for a minute and finally changed gear to leave the mansion and Regina behind her. She was close to her parent's apartment when a sudden smoke filled the cabin and she hit the breaks with the surprise. "What the?" She looked behind her to see if it was coming from the engine and into the car, but that wasn't the source of this  _purple?_  smoke. Her brain quickly reminded her who had that signature color and when she turned to look to the passenger side; there she was. "Regina, what are you —" Emma was interrupted by Regina pulling her into a kiss.


	19. Chapter 19

The voices in the kitchen slowly awoken David and he heard about what his daughter was going through when she spoke with her mother, but pretended to continue sleeping until she went upstairs. He approached Mary Margaret and told her what he heard, and then decided to speak together with Emma but she left with Henry to avoid them.

It cost David some effort to come to the idea of his princess being into  _other princesses,_ but he loved her above all else and exhaled deeply. If that was what Emma needed, he would only support her and tried to convince Snow that they should let their daughter live her process. If Regina was not behind this, they would only be reviving her old hatred and turn her back into an enemy, and might even turn their own daughter against them. There was too much at stake and he wouldn't be risking his family – not when they had finally found some peace.

Mary Margaret wasn't too happy, felt he wasn't on her side, and asked him to give her some space to cool down. He nodded and went outside for a walk to clear his mind and think about how to properly approach Emma. It should be a mother-daughter talk, but given the circumstances; it would be best  _he_  came to Emma and tried to show his support – while still looking for the truth behind the curse theory.

He was returning home when he watched the yellow bug stop suddenly and moved with a faster step toward the VW to see if Emma was alright, but stopped when he saw she was accompanied by someone and apparently  _kissing_  that person he didn't recognize from his angle. He could see she/he was dark-haired and moved to stand behind a tree so they wouldn't see him.

Regina kissed Emma and the blonde didn't want to break their lip-lock, but the mayor pulled apart just as abruptly as she had claimed rosy lips. Emma stared at Regina flabbergasted and brought her fingers to touch at her swollen lips. "That was –" The blonde began speaking but Regina interrupted. "Awkward." She completed for Emma and the deputy stared confusedly. "Not the word  _I_ would use to describe it." Emma mumbled and Regina brought her hands to her face – all stressed out. "I  _had_  to do it." The brunette didn't know how to explain. "Since I saw you at my door I got... confused. But this felt like kissing your mother – like kissing a sister." Regina said and grimaced at the sensation. "I've no idea why I did it. Well, I do — I needed closure." The brunette turned to look at Emma with confusion. "The spell." Emma mumbled. "Not you as well." Regina scowled. "No, it's not that." Emma responded and talked about Henry's accidental spell cast upon her.

Regina glowered but decided to forget about it for a moment and confront Henry together with Emma the next day in her office. It was a silly spell and the pair of women chuckled about it. "So what now?" Emma asked but didn't really expect anything. "Now we move on." Regina said serenely. "The spell was not broken, which means we're not for each other – so…" The brunette looked into green eyes apologetically. "I guess I'll keep looking for my complement." Emma smiled and started the engine again. "We'll just forget about this... incident – the whole night." The deputy said with woe and looked to the road.

"My offer still stands, Emma." Regina lightly tapped on her shoulder. "I was honest when I offered you friendship." The mayor said kindly. "I mean, I had no choice – thanks to that spell. Even this moment. Ugh!" The brunette rolled her eyes and huffed. "I know." Emma smiled. "We'll be BFFs." The blonde chuckled. "What?" Regina asked with confusion. "Best friends for ever." Emma blushed lightly. "Oh. I doubt that, but I will be there if you need me." The mayor was serious. "Good night, Emma. And sorry." Regina smiled apologetically and disappeared in the same purple smoke she'd come from. "Like a sister, huh." She sighed deeply. "Least she doesn't want to poison me anymore."

David now knew who had been in that car with his daughter and thought maybe Snow was right and decided to come to view for Emma before she drove off. The deputy opened her eyes wide and looked at her father with surprise.  _Caught._  She felt like a teenager and watched as her father opened the passenger door and sat beside her. He stretched an arm to her side, turned the key and shut off the car so they could speak without the noise of the rattling engine. "Now we have to talk."

An hour or two passed quickly and David was astonished with all of what had really happened without their knowing.  _How could they be so blind?_  He felt a little guilty because Emma had been alone with her sorrow. He was convinced now Regina was not to blame and felt sympathy for the both of them. He pulled Emma into his arms and kissed her forehead gently. "I'm here for you, Emma." He brushed away some gold curls and smiled warmly, and Emma did too – with some tears. But she felt lighter, like a big weight had been taken from her shoulders. It was amazing how being able to share your troubles with someone, could make such a huge difference. She was not alone.

"I never thought I would say this, but; I'm sorry it didn't work out with Regina." He comforted her and Emma pressed tighter. "You can find someone else, you just need to let go." He cupped her face and smiled. "You're very beautiful and have such a special heart, Emma." His father said warmly. " _True Love's_  heart – I know – and yet I haven't found mine." She sighed. "It will come. Just keep the door open and don't loose hope." He kissed her forehead once more and looked at his clock. "I should be back home. Do you want to come along?" He asked her. "With my mother in her mood? I'm not so sure…" Emma responded as she looked to the building a block from where she was parked. "It will be alright, sweetheart. I'm on your side." He squeezed her hand and she smiled.

Once back in the apartment, Mary Margaret came to greet her daughter and looked at David. She didn't mention the subject and just kissed her daughter. Emma went upstairs to her old bedroom and dropped full weight on bed. She turned to look to the side and when she saw her mirror, decided to stand up, go to the vanity and use her magic. The image of Regina kissing Henry goodnight appeared and when the brunette turned her gaze to her back, as if feeling someone's presence behind her, Emma got startled and the mirror went blurry and then back to normal.  _Let go._  Emma repeated inside her head.

She covered the mirror with an old bed sheet, to avoid temptation, and slipped inside the covers that had kept her warm a little over a year ago in the same place. She was about to turn off her night lamp when someone knocked on her door. It was both of her parents and Emma told them to come in. They sat on each side of her bed while she laid in the middle and covered her with something very familiar, but which she had not seen again after leaving to New York.

"That's my blanket." Emma felt her eyes sting. "Yes, love." Said David. "We wanted to tuck you in." Snow said and her own eyes pooled with tears. They kissed her on her temples and Emma had to bite her lip not to cry. "What is the meaning of this?" She asked with a breaking voice. "You're our little princess," said David. "and we want you to know we love you just the way you are." Her father said warmly. "You're different. But so is everyone else, and that's what makes us all special." Snow said this time. "You are True Love, and love knows no boundaries. Why should we –  _I_ – try to draw lines where there should be none." Mary Margaret said with honesty and wiped her own tears away. "I'm so sorry for being so…  _me."_  She apologized and Emma threw her arms around her. "It's okay, mom." She said sweetly and they embraced for a long time.

Her parents finally left and Emma went to sleep, and had the most pleasant rest in her whole life. She felt light like a feather and her blankets were warm over her, protecting her from any harm. She had a beautiful dream of her as a child, in which her parents played with her in a park where the sun was shinning bright above them. She was kicking a soccer ball with David and then Mary called them to eat a sandwich on their picnic blanket over the greenest grass she'd ever seen. Everything was ethereal but felt real. Emma smiled and allowed herself to enjoy the dream.

* * *

The following day was a strange one, strange because "normal" would mean running behind a witch or escaping a monster, and none of that happened. It was a sunny day and everyone went to work like they would do before the first curse was broken, following a schedule and just going with inertia. Some would call it boring, but for Storybrooke it was blissful.

Emma had breakfast with her parents after the delicious scent of food woke her from her  _death-sleep_. She had a lazy shower, taking all the time in the world, and then joined Snow and David at the table while her little brother slept after having been fed earlier. She felt happy for the first time after remembering Storybrooke – and realizing her amazing life in NY and memories of baby Henry had been false, and decided that nothing could make her day wrong from now on. It was her time to enjoy life.

After kissing Mary Margaret, Emma and David made it to the station and started going through papers they hadn't had time to archive, revise or report to the Mayor. Her father wasn't very good at it, he lacked the experience, and Emma took over the paperwork to help him. He felt a little ashamed, being Sheriff was not like being King – and he hadn't really been the latter since his roots weren't noble and the first curse hit before he really gained experience in ruling. Being a shepherd was more his thing. It was that or slaying dragons, swinging a sword around – perhaps he should become a butcher. He grimaced at the sudden weird idea. He couldn't do it, not after having worked in the animal shelter.  _Sigh._  He felt somewhat useless.

"You okay?" Emma turned to look at her father frowning at the pile of files. "Yes… No." He rubbed his chin. "I'm not fit for this." He told her and Emma went to join him in his little office. "We're some months behind, yah, but we will get to it." Emma comforted him. "I don't want to be Sheriff, Emma." Her father confessed and Emma was a little surprised. "Why?" She asked. "I need to be outside, patrolling and just… out of the office. You're much better at this." David told her. "Do you… want me to be Sheriff?" She asked curiously. "Yes… I think it would be best. I could be deputy, be out and visit your mother during breaks to help with Neal. Less responsibility here, more there." He told her and Emma nodded. "Well, I will arrange that with Regina."

It was pretty slow all day and Emma was very bored and when the clocked marked ten before three, she went to pick up her son. They dropped by Granny's for take-out and went to eat at the station. They saw Regina on their way out and the mayor reminded Emma. "Six o'clock." She said for both and they nodded. "Yes, Ma'am." Henry said formally and Regina twitched her lip and raised her eyebrow. She turned to look at Emma next. "Not a minute later, Madam Mayor." The blonde made a light bow with her head and Regina rolled her eyes. "Very well, go along." She watched them leave and went to sit down by the bar.

Elsa emerged from the kitchen some minutes later and locked arms with the mayor. Her shift was over and they went to the park Elsa liked so much. One; because it was beautiful and two; it was close to her residence. But Regina was mostly quiet during the drive and Elsa had difficulty reading her expression. They had spent such a nice day the day before and she had no idea what made Regina's mood become gloomy.

They started walking to the lake and Elsa loved how all the trees and grass began to take life. There were so many new sprouts all around them and it gave her so much joy to believe she would be seeing summer again. The sun felt warmer and there was no trace of snow anymore in Storybrooke, only some puddles of the snow that melted. It reminded her of Olaf but wasn't worried because she gave him his very own snowing cloud that morning before leaving to Granny's, but forbid him from going around town without her consent.

Regina felt conflicted about last night's actions. She kissed Emma because she felt the strong need to do it and couldn't help it, but it confirmed to her there was no romantic love left from her side; it was something different what she felt for Emma now. She didn't want to think more about it but guilt kept churning her stomach. "Will you tell me what is wrong?" Elsa looked at her closely and squeezed her hand when they came to stop by the lake. "What?" Regina broke out of her reverie. "Your light is dim today." Elsa responded. "Please tell me what is troubling you, Sunshine." The blonde looked with worry into brown eyes.

"Elsa…" Regina felt even worse.  _How could she be so sweet?_  "Let's sit down." The Queen of Arendelle guided them to their preferred bench – where everything started. Regina looked into blue eyes and then down to her hand, joined with Elsa's. She took a deep breath and decided to speak, she didn't want to keep secrets anymore – not from her partner. "I kissed her." Regina said and Elsa's mouth gaped momentarily, but she cleared her throat and didn't release Regina's hand still in hers.

"And?" The regal girl asked curiously and Regina was puzzled. "Did you… hear me?" The brunette asked while narrowing her eyes on Elsa. "Yes, I did." Her girlfriend replied calmly. "But… Why are you so calm?" The mayor was confounded. "Because you're being honest." Elsa answered. "Now, would you mind sharing the context of this kiss that has loaded you with burden?" She asked less warmly this time.

Regina nodded and described what happened after calling Henry, and how confused she felt the moment she saw Emma. Something kept drawing her toward the deputy until she kissed her because she felt it would give her the answer; give her closure. "And did it give you?" Elsa asked this time coldly, her hand had left Regina's during the time she told her about the supper and the mayor felt miserable for putting her through this. "Yes. It's over." Regina said while looking into blue eyes with regret. "All right." The blonde exhaled and Regina was still slightly disturbed by her  _near_  indifference.

"Just all right?" Regina asked nervously. "Yes. But if you  _ever_ need to 'look for answers' again, you might as well not bother coming back to me." Elsa said sternly. "I know how it's been with Emma, and can understand to a point, but I won't be able to stand it a second time." The younger woman was firm. "It will never repeat." Regina assured her. "I know you love her, just like I love the memory of Krystal, but I need no proof to discern what type of loving it is." Elsa glowered and Regina accepted her anger. "I'm very sorry." The brunette took Elsa's hand in hers and the younger woman looked at her with a glare.

"I'm the only one you can give True Love's kiss. Understood?" Elsa said seriously and Regina smiled lightly. "Yes. Do you forgive me?" Caramel eyes looked deeply into sapphire. "Hmn…" Elsa eyed her and then sighed. "Just because it was that funny spell what made you impulsive." The blonde answered and Regina nodded. Regina's gaze moved to Elsa's lips but then looked to the lake and Elsa's voice brought her back from her trance. "What are you waiting for? Kiss me already!"

It wasn't as bad as Regina feared and she was greatly surprised by how Elsa forgave her. She would never again give her any reasons to distrust her and the mayor returned to her office after leaving Elsa in the palace. It would be soon time to go home with Henry and there were still things to do in the office.

* * *

When she got back to the town hall, Emma was already waiting in the lobby to speak with her. She took a deep breath, opened the door and called Emma to follow behind her. The deputy showed her the papers where David and her requested to change positions and Regina signed them without even reading the file. She didn't want to spend time close to Emma this moment and sped up the process, besides; it wasn't like the change made a big difference or presented a scandal, or set them back on anything at all.

A week later, Regina publicly named Emma the new/old Sheriff and David took more time for his family at home, while Emma took more in the station, which helped with the shared custody. One of the arrangements had been for Emma to always pick Henry from school and see that he did his homework, had dinner and delivered him in Regina's office before closing to go home. But if there were an emergency, she would drop him by the mayor's office immediately, which was very close, and Emma could by  _no_  means take him to Mary Margaret's – unless it was Saturday; their full day together.

Henry liked helping with the calls in the station and Emma was thankful because she lacked the patience for pranksters and he made a good secretary. The arrangement allowed them to spend time together and Regina would seldom come to supervise Emma and David's work, and also to make sure Henry wasn't neglecting his homework. Her visits were always short and to the point, and didn't leave space for the two mothers to bond beyond being Henry's tutors and boss/employee with a common goal: the welfare of Storybrooke and their son.

For the following days, they had little to no contact; meeting only when work required. Regina wouldn't be completely cold but there was a tangible line between them and Emma didn't mind it anymore. What they had now was nicer, certainly more peaceful, and the deputy was still under the spell that would only break when she found her complement.

Emma had Dena hit on her again and decided to give it a try after making sure she wasn't  _jailbait_ , and when the cute Asian went for a kiss; both women felt there wasn't really chemistry. Dena no longer felt so strongly attracted to the Sheriff and Emma was freed from at least that one little stalker. Had she continued avoiding her, she would still have to deal with Dena and her silly attempts to get her attention. She kept sending her video games to try and candy with little notes through Henry – what was most embarrassing. Of course the brat had fun seeing her mother roll her eyes and sigh every time mortified, but it was finally over.

Another woman showed interest in the sheriff; a nun/fairy named Lauren in Storybrooke, but who was called orange in the fairy tale land. She was more mature than Emma, looked to be close to her forties – but knowing fairies, she must have probably been a couple hundred years old. She had been always a responsible fairy, but ever since coming to Storybrooke she started to experience human feelings and desires. She was attracted to one of her novices but never acted on it, and the day Emma came to the convent with Belle to let them know she would be donating the building, she couldn't help but feel something for the handsome blonde accompanying Gold's widow.

Lauren had almond-shaped light brown eyes that always smiled, glowing olive skin with a lightly freckled face, and her hair was black and curly; she looked mixed and quite gorgeous. Emma couldn't deny finding this woman very attractive, but the idea of corrupting a  _nun_ was a little unsettling. She didn't want to delve in the fairy world and she already felt cautious about mother superior. She was someone very strict and with strange ideas, and Emma could never fully get over the idea of Blue turning August back into child Pinocchio.

 _What if she got turned into a child, or a wooden doll as punishment for corrupting a fairy-nun?_  Emma tried not to give Lauren hope but it was difficult, unlike with Dena, as this woman was very kind, had the wisdom of ages and still managed to crack a joke. They shared a couple of coffees in the course of a month and the moment came when Emma kissed her on the corner of her lips – tentatively, and the magic of the spell showed Lauren it was Nova, the fairy that once loved a dwarf, who she really loved and apologized to the sheriff. They ended in good terms but it made Emma really want someone now and trust there were really good options out there; she just had to open her eyes and heart. It had never cost her so much to get over someone, forgetting Regina was worse than letting go of Neal, but she was on track now.

Her parents showed very supportive all through and Mary Margaret didn't approach Regina – even once – after the night they tucked Emma in with her baby blanket. David had told his wife about the talk with their daughter in the car and assured Snow it hadn't been dark magic what made Emma come out like an eruption, but her own despair of breaking free from the imprisonment of fear and prejudice. He avoided mentioning who Emma had been in love with, to respect her request, and Snow felt bad for having behaved the way she did. Their daughter was True Love's product, and love is infinite; inclusive. It made sense Emma's heart could see beyond the shell of a body and love a person for his/her spirit.  _How could anyone reject her?_ Snow had been pissed. Whoever that  _bitch_  was, she hoped would end up lonely.  _If only she knew._  David bit his tongue.

Emma would come to their apartment before going to her own and say hi before the day ended. She would some times have supper with them, drink tea, or just spend time with her little brother before leaving and it filled all of them with happiness. It felt like a normal family. Three months had passed since the snowstorm and they hadn't had any other threats to face, they could finally relax and enjoy life without fear.

* * *

Regina and Elsa continued with their relationship and the mayor would always appear with a flower, a chocolate bar, or just any small detail to assure her girlfriend of her feelings. Even if they were True Love, it wasn't for granted that they would always have it. Love is a garden and if you stop watering it, eventually even the sturdiest of plants will dry and die.

They were still happy but Regina hadn't been at her best health, the last weeks worse than ever. She kept feeling sick and couldn't stand waiting for Elsa inside the diner. She would now send her a text to let her know she was outside Granny's to pick her up and drive to the mansion, or ask her to come to the office and part from there with Elsa's magic.

The Queen of Arendelle continued working at Granny's, as no one had a clue to her powers – or the disaster they caused in their town, thanks to Emma and the Charmings keeping the secret, and became closer to Ruby. Spending all mornings together made them bond and the _Star Waitress_ learned many of her secrets. There was one in particular that caught her, though; Ruby's feelings for Emma.

Ruby told her it was at first friendship, but when Hook appeared and started to pursue her, she began to feel a different kind of scorn for the pirate than what she had felt for anyone else. She had disliked people before, like Mr. Gold. The imp had been an annoying fearful monster, but this one-handed pirate made her stomach churn with nausea. He had hit on her on a few occasions; even during the time he was so adamantly insisting on Emma to _accept_  her  _undying_  love for him. She'd also seen him frequent the rabbit hole and flirt with the ladies, acting like he was so sad he was dumped after sacrificing his ship for the savior – only to get their sympathy and a warm bed where to sleep for the night, instead of getting his own. He behaved like he was the greatest gift of God to women and that was what bothered her most.

 _How could Emma have gotten involved with that kind of person?_ He was a pirate who only did things if they would reward him monetarily, or physically. She shrugged and Elsa put her hand on Ruby's arm. "Sometimes when you feel you owe someone, you do things you wouldn't normally." Elsa told her and squeezed her arm. "He pretended to be heroic and oh-so-selfless, and Emma bought it." Ruby grumbled. "That's in the past, Ruby." Elsa told her. "I know… it's just that - " The brunette sighed and folded her arms over her chest. "What is it? You know you can trust me." Elsa encouraged her to share. "It's not that easy…" Ruby looked at Elsa and then to the floor. "Try." The blonde said. "Well, I don't have a ship to trade, or fairy wings, and I will never be as polished, powerful and  _bitchy_  as Regina to earn Emma's affection. It's fucked up." The werewolf blurted and covered her mouth. "OMG – Sorry!"

Elsa's brow furrowed and she cleared her throat. "It's fine, don't worry. Just, please, don't call my partner that again – at least not in my presence." The blonde said calmly and Ruby nodded. "I won't." She bit her lip in guilt. "I know everyone has a certain image about her, but Regina has never been rude to me." Elsa said to the werewolf and Ruby nodded. "Well, you're the only person she's actually treated like a  _person_ from the start, aside from Henry." The senior waitress said in her defense. "It hasn't always been a walk in the park." The Arendellian mumbled. "But we were talking about you and the Sheriff."

The bell rang and a certain blonde came through the door. It was early in the morning, they had just opened a few minutes ago and it looked like Emma was their first customer. "Speaking of the devil." Ruby mumbled and Elsa turned her eyes to look at the newcomer. "Go get her, wolf." She nudged Ruby and the brunette jumped. "Ouch!" The werewolf whined. "No, you go. Please, you know I can't control myself when I'm close to her." Ruby pleaded. "You'll have to deal with it sooner or later. How about you do now." Elsa pushed her to the front. "I'm starting the coffee!" The blonde said loudly and went to the kitchen for a clean carafe. "Shit."  _Fuck you, Elsa._  Ruby grumbled.

"Morning, Rubes." Emma smiled and Ruby mirrored. "Sup, Ems?" She pulled out her notepad to take her order. Emma asked for her usual and Ruby quickly went into the kitchen, trying to spend as little time as she possibly could by the sheriff's side. The pull she felt had only grown in the last months and she didn't know why, but feared she wouldn't be able to continue hiding her secret and make a love confession as scandalous as Emma's day  _coming out_  in the popular diner. But her biggest fear was rejection, and she wasn't ready for that. It was one thing to  _expect_  it, but another to actually face it.

Emma did notice how her friend continued avoiding her, and really missed spending time there to talk with Ruby about her problems, but also because she was big fun when they went out on ladies night and just chilling. She knew it was the spell to blame, but knowing  _this_  made Emma start looking differently at the werewolf. She suddenly noticed the lightness of her blue eyes; the softness of her hair, and how brilliant that smiled had always been for her, even before Henry's spell.

She finished her coffee and asked Elsa for the bill. The blonde came back soon after and side glanced Emma while she wrote something on a napkin. She put some money over the table and Elsa approached her. "Is there anything else you would like before you go?" The waitress asked. "Yes… please give this to Ruby." Emma replied and then left. Elsa went to the kitchen and gave Ruby the folded napkin. "She sent you this."

The brunette was hesitant to open it but after a minute decided to see what Emma had written inside it.  _I miss you. Stop avoiding me?_ The note said and Ruby pressed it against her face and smelled Emma's sweet scent imprinted on the paper. "You're grinning like a fool. I wonder what that note said." Elsa teased as she came to join her buddy. It was easy to be silly with someone like Ruby and she enjoyed showing this side with her now best friend. "Not telling." The brunette stick out her tongue and hid the note inside the pocket of her apron.

"I'll give you a treat if you show me." Elsa held a biscuit in her fingers and waved it. "Come-come, be a good girl and show mommy the message." And made Ruby furious. "I'm a werewolf, not a dog!" The brunette yelled. "You still like it when I pet you." Elsa went and patted Ruby's head like a puppy. "Hey! Stop that!" Ruby whined but couldn't help laughing as Elsa held a stronger grip on her head and began messing up her hair. "Okay, that's enough you little bitch." Ruby pushed Elsa away a little too strongly and the blonde stumbled.

She saw Elsa loose balance and when her hands looked for a surface where to hold her weight, they went toward the boiling oil for frying and her eyes opened wider in fear of the accident that was going to happen. Everything happened too fast and Ruby couldn't prevent the inevitable, but it was the bright glow of magic what made the werewolf even more startled. Elsa's hands shot their power and the boiling oil turned into ice blocks. Her palms landed on the cool surface and she didn't get burned, like it would have happened if she didn't have magic.

Elsa turned to look at Ruby with shock. "I swear I won't hurt you. I can explain this." She took a step toward her but the werewolf was nervous. "Please don't fear me, Ruby." Elsa pleaded in fear of losing her best friend and Ruby relaxed. People had been terrified of her when they learned she was the wolf, and she knew what Elsa must have been going through. "Are you hurt?" The brunette went and took Elsa's hands to inspect them. "No, I'm fine. Thank you." The blonde relaxed, too. "Can you keep the secret?" She asked Ruby. "Yep. But I want to know your story. You know mine — it's only fair." Ruby told her. "I will." Elsa responded.

Granny came to the kitchen after noticing the long absence of her waitresses and scolded. "No chit-chatting, ladies. We got customers." She pulled down her glasses to glare at them. "Geez, we're going." Ruby grumbled and turned to whisper in Elsa's ear. "Ladies night out this weekend. Okay?" But Elsa struggled. "I don't know... Saturdays are for me and Regina." The blonde mumbled as they walked out of the kitchen. "Friday night, then. You're  _not_  escaping this time. Belle will tag along, by the way — if that's okay." Ruby insisted. "Ugh... Okay. She knows, anyway." The blonde responded and Ruby scowled. "She knows but  _I_  don't? Kinda friend are you?" The brunette grumbled. "We have a past." Elsa replied and Ruby's jaw dropped. "No way!" But Elsa quickly corrected. "Not  _that_  kind of past, Ruby. Take your mind out of the gutter."


	20. Chapter 20

It was time for Elsa to leave and Regina waited outside the diner for her girlfriend. A little dizzy, she shook her head and tried to focus but her vision was still blurry and she became worried. She had cut down on her night readings because of the headaches and her head spinning.  _Maybe it was time for a check-up_ , but she didn't want to worry her partner and kept all her symptoms a secret. She smiled when Elsa came through the door and kissed her; opened the passenger door for her beloved and got on the driver's side. She turned the key but then had to wait a minute because she felt light-headed once again.

"Is everything okay?" Elsa asked her. "Yes. I just … think I moved too quickly and got a little dizzy, but I'm fine now." Regina smiled and started driving to the town hall. Elsa looked at her unconvinced, but decided to respect her wish not to share what was going on inside her.

Regina was pensive, she wasn't yet at the age for menopause, but then again some women got it earlier than others.  _But this early?_  She sighed and decided to make an appointment with Dr. Whale later, since she didn't want Elsa to know about it because it was somewhat embarrassing. It was already upsetting to have gained a little bit of weight and she feared wrinkles and dry skin would soon follow. She wasn't mentally prepared to face ageing.

Elsa accompanied Regina in the office for the following hours until Henry came to go home with them. They talked about his school day and he shared with Elsa some of the funniest phone pranks he'd gotten at the station. The Queen of Arendelle chuckled with him but Regina remained silent. It wasn't out of the ordinary, though, because she would often get mad at how imbecile some people were, wasting the police's time and endangering others with their stupidity. What if there were a real emergency and no one believed it because of all these pranksters? Regina was always the sour lemon when it came to sharing these little talks.

After Henry went to his room to finish his homework, Elsa came closer to Regina and put her hand in the curve of her back, right above her buttocks. She leaned forward and placed a kiss on Regina's neck. "You smell good." She told her softly and Regina felt a shiver, but then came nausea. "I'm not in the mood, dear." The mayor told her and took a deep breath to let the sensation pass _. Another symptom; loss of libido, accompanied by nausea?_ She wondered. _Or did nausea trigger her loss of libido?_

Regina kissed Elsa goodnight and the younger woman nodded in understanding and disappeared with her magic. She didn't want to pressure her to tell her what was going on, but was growing each time more impatient and it hurt her that her girlfriend kept avoiding her attempts at intimacy lately. She didn't mind she was slightly fuller and really found it distressing that it might be what was making Regina not want to share her body.

On the morrow, Regina went to the hospital after dropping Henry in school and Dr. Whale asked her some questions before drawing some blood for tests. And one of his questions made her very uncomfortable, which was if she recalled the last day of her cycle. He asked her for the date and Regina struggled before answering. She brought her hand to her temple and her brow furrowed.

"Is it absolutely relevant?" Regina chirped. "I'm afraid it is, Regina, we need as much information as possible." He responded. "Fine." The mayor took a deep breath. "The day I got married to Leopold." She replied dryly and Whale was confused. "Which would be around forty years ago." She told him and he wrote it down with a frown on his face. It didn't make much sense. "Thank you. The results will be ready tomorrow after four in the afternoon." He said and guided Regina to the door. "No. I need them today,  _before_  three in the afternoon. Thank you." The brunette ordered and picked up her purse to leave and the doctor shook his head.

She ran into Mary Margaret and David on her way out but ignored them and raced toward the exit to avoid any questions. They had come for Neal's monthly check-up and Snow got worried because she thought maybe Henry had fallen ill. She called Emma to ask about it and the sheriff was just as puzzled as her mother. "Not that I know of." She answered and thought about calling Regina but decided against it. If there was anything wrong with their son, the brunette would let her know before anyone else.

The mayor got to her office around ten in the morning and completely forgot she had a meeting for the project of bringing newer technology to Storybrooke. She apologized for coming late and picked up where her assistant left, which was just after the slideshow of pictures from the equipment they would be buying with the city funds. Two hours into the meeting, Regina called for a break. She hadn't eaten a thing because her tests required an empty stomach and it was almost growling now in complaint. She asked her assistant to make her coffee and went for the salty crackers on a table, but when she came close to the small tuna sandwiches, the smell made her turn her stomach in the trashcan on the side.

Emma came immediately to her side and gave her some napkins to clean her mouth, took the trashcan outside and told the rest of the gathered people they would resume the meeting the next day. Regina complained but Emma didn't let her continue in her state, she took her outside for fresh air and they sat down by the shadow of the apple tree.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked as she looked at Regina's pale face. "Nothing." The brunette evaded. "Bullshit, Regina. I know you went to the hospital." The blonde told her. "Of course you do. That mother of yours could never keep her mouth shut." Regina grumbled but covered her mouth with the napkin when she felt another impulse to vomit. "Here, have some water." Emma passed her a bottle. "So?" The green-eyed looked at the brown-eyed waiting for an answer.

Regina looked at Emma and then to the water bottle, she took a big gulp and breathed deeply. "I don't know. I will have my results in a couple of hours." The brunette looked into jade eyes and Emma knew she was telling the truth. "Okay. Let me know if you want me to keep Henry tonight." The sheriff said while standing up. "I have to get back to the station. Let me know if you need anything." Emma smiled. "Thank you but I'm fine now." The mayor tried to get up but lost balance, everything was spinning and Emma quickly moved to catch her and help her stand straight. "You were saying?" Emma raised an eyebrow.

"I'm fine. This seldom happens." Regina grumbled and started walking to the building. "So it's been happening frequently." Emma followed behind her. "I said; seldom." The mayor growled. "Stop following. Sheriff, you're dismissed." Regina ordered. "No. One of my jobs is making sure the welfare of the Mayor isn't compromised and right now I have to protect you from your stubbornness. There is no way I'm letting you drive to the hospital alone when the results are ready." Emma raised a cocky eyebrow and Regina gaped. "Suit yourself." She grumbled and got back in her office to finish arranging some documents. "I'll pick you up in two." Emma said before leaving.

The time came sooner than expected and Regina called Elsa to tell her she might not be able to pick her up. She said she was busy in a meeting and wasn't sure she would be out in time. Elsa asked her not to worry and told her she would be visiting later at night in the mansion. Emma came as promised and Regina left with her, she was dizzy and had to accept she couldn't have driven her way over to the hospital and magic was not an option. She couldn't even light a candle if she wanted this moment.

Emma sat on the waiting room and glanced from time to time to the door of the office where Regina disappeared with Dr. Whale. Everything was quiet as there weren't really many persons around, so when the Mayor started raising her voice; it was easy for everyone to hear her and the Sheriff walked down the hallway and knocked on the door. "Everything okay there?" She asked but she didn't get an answer, only heard another of Regina's groans.

"This is ridiculous." Regina smacked her hands on the desk. "Is this some kind of joke? Is this your way to get back at me, Dr. Whale?" The brunette growled. "Regina, this is what the results turned in." Whale insisted. "I could light you on fire right now and no one would be able to stop me or save you. Don't try to play games with me." Regina threatened. "Regina, please. Why would I play with something like this?" Dr. Whale started to get angry but at the same time was fearful. "Just give me a reason not to kill you." Regina pulled him by the collar. "I am telling the truth! But, you know what? I'm sick of you! Do whatever you want, you fucking witch!" He yelled and Regina summoned a fireball but Emma kicked the door open and used her magic to make it turn into water.

"Regina, that's enough." The sheriff took her by the arm. "Let's go." She ordered and noticed the balled-up piece of paper on the floor, near the desk, and grabbed it. "You'll have to find yourself another doctor because I'm not delivering the spawn of the devil!" Whale yelled behind them and Emma was puzzled. "What is he talking about?" Emma asked Regina down the hallway. "Nothing. Just like what his skull contains." Regina muttered and retrieved her arm. "I can walk myself out." The mayor grumbled and exited the hospital with a fast step.

Emma walked more slowly and opened the balled-up paper to read the results:  _Positive._  Her eyes and mouth opened wide and stopped walking; she looked at Regina, and Regina looked back at her with eyes reddened and semblance broken. "Is this?" The blonde opened her mouth. "Not possible. I can't be pregnant." The brunette said with a breaking voice. "Why are you so sure? Blood tests don't fail." The blonde gave her the piece of paper. "Or was this…  _not_  planned?" Emma asked cautiously. If it was a mistake, it could only mean Regina had had a  _slip_  and Elsa wouldn't be very happy to find out.

"Of course it wasn't planned." Regina muttered and Emma raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'm not here to judge. How can I help you?" The blonde reached a hand to touch Regina's arm lightly. "For one, don't look at me like that. I haven't slept with a man since Graham." Regina glared. "Well, that makes things weirder." Emma smiled nervously. "Exactly, and the fact that I  _can't_  have children." The mayor told her and walked to a bench near the entrance. "But you're going to." Emma shook her head. "No, that is mistaken. He's only getting at me for bringing him here." Regina insisted.

"Okay. Why are you so certain about that?" Emma sat with Regina and looked at her with confusion. "Because I cursed myself the day I was forced to marry Leopold." Regina finally said it. "What?" Emma was in shock again. "There was no way I would bear him a child, so I prepared a potion that made whoever drank it barren for life. I toasted with it on my wedding night." The mayor shared with Emma and it still cost the sheriff a little to process. "So you've never been pregnant before?" The blonde asked her. "Do you see any children running around me?" Regina glared. "No." Emma looked downcast.

Regina told her she had always wanted to be a mother, but it was only with Daniel with whom she pictured herself raising a family. But everything changed the day she saved Snow White and she already knew the rest of the story. She hated Leopold and the idea of granting him a child was just too much, she felt she would be betraying her lost fiancé and cursed herself not to give anyone the children that should have been her True Love's.

But coming to Storybrooke started to change her and solitude made her crave love; the innocent love of children – her reason to adopt Henry.  _Of course_  it would be a dream come true if she were really pregnant, because she would be having her True Love's child – but that was impossible. Elsa was a  _woman_  and Regina was barren, this had to be a bad joke and she was suffering because she wanted it to be real – but knew it wasn't. Dr. Frankenstein had really found where to hit her.  _That monster._

"With the magic you both possess, I think it is quite possible that your dream may be coming true, Regina." Emma encouraged her and Regina smiled for the first time. "I don't want to get my hopes high but thank you, Emma." The mayor put her hand on Emma's and squeezed lightly, but her face turned gloomy again. "Hey… Don't get like that." Emma squeezed Regina's hand this time. "Maybe Belle can help us make sure. You know, before telling Elsa the good news." The sheriff got up. "I'll take you to her." She held out her hand for the mayor. "What time is it?" Regina asked. "It's five to – shit! Henry. I forgot." Emma slipped her hand through her hair. "We can pick him up and then go to Belle's."

Regina considered the suggestion but decided to wait a little. She told Emma if she were to do this, she wanted to do it with Elsa and apologized. Emma nodded in agreement and understood that was the right thing to do, being Elsa the one who put that seed of life inside Regina's womb. They picked Henry up and he was confused by seeing both of his mothers come together in the patrol car, but Regina explained she had to see the doctor for the headaches she had been getting and Emma offered to take her to the hospital after the meeting in the town hall.

* * *

As promised, Elsa came to visit Regina in the evening and couldn't help staring at the brunette as she slowly moved to bring her a drink, and noticed how the mayor only had water instead of her usual wine or cider before sleep. She didn't pay much mind to it but it worried her to see Regina with dark circles under puffy eyes. "You seem tired, darling. Come sit down." Elsa patted the space next to her on the couch and Regina went to join her. "Just a little. The meeting was long." Regina smiled but couldn't help yawning. "Sorry." She excused herself.

"I think I will go earlier tonight, you really look tired and I don't want to keep you up, Bumble bee." The blonde said and pecked her lover on the lips. "But you just arrived." Regina said woefully and her eyes welled-up with tears. "Are you tired of me?" The brunette asked suddenly.  _Hormones?_  She mentally questioned but she had already said it. "No! Never, my love. Please don't get sad. I didn't mean to upset you." Elsa put her drink down on the table and embraced the mayor. "You know I'm happiest when I'm with you." The blonde kissed red lips lovingly and run her fingers through Regina's hair gently while looking into brown pools.

"Sorry. I don't know what's gotten to me." The mayor lied and averted her eyes. "You can leave anytime you want." She said with indifference and Elsa was  _really_  worried now. "But I don't want to leave your side, Sugarplum." Elsa squeezed Regina's thigh and the mayor looked down at her hand and raised an eyebrow.  _"_ _Sugarplum?_  Could you please cut it down with the ridiculous endearments?" Regina blurted. "I… I apologize, Regina. I didn't know they bothered you." Elsa removed her hand from Regina's thigh and took to her drink from the table. "Well, they do. Some, not all." The brunette told her and Elsa went silent for a moment and then stood up from the sofa. "I see." Elsa mumbled and put down the glass again.

"Where are you going?" Regina reached Elsa's wrist. "I don't think tonight is our night, Regina." Elsa let out a deep sigh. "You're leaving me, aren't you?" Regina asked with a raspy voice. "What? I'm just going to sleep in the palace. I'll see you tomorrow, Sun– Regina." The blonde corrected. "Would you mind giving me back my hand?" She looked at Regina's hand steady on her wrist. "Sure…" The brunette released her grip with hesitation. "Thank you. Until tomorrow." The Queen of Arendelle excused herself but when she was about to vanish with magic, Regina got up abruptly from the sofa and tried to hold on to her partner. She felt strong pain in her abdomen briefly and put her hand on her stomach but ignored it to stop Elsa from leaving.

"Please, don't leave me. I don't want to be lonely anymore." Regina said as she walked to the other woman but got dizzy and a second cramp made her trip and fall. "Regina!" Elsa screamed in fear and knelt beside her, but the mayor was unconscious. "What's going on?" She picked her in her arms and tried to carry her to the couch but couldn't on her own. "Henry!" She yelled and it took a minute for him to come down to the living room. "What – what happened?" He was scared but helped Elsa put Regina on the sofa. "I don't know. She tripped and fainted." Elsa was a nervous wreck. "I don't know how to heal with magic. Please call someone! Please do something!" She cried as she looked at Henry.

"Okay. My mom, Emma, will know what to do. They were in the hospital earlier." Henry commented and called his birthmother. "The hospital?" Elsa asked him but he was on the phone telling Emma what had happened and it took five minutes for the Sheriff to appear with Belle by her side in a puff of pinkish-red smoke. "Belle?" Henry was a little bewildered. "Yes." Emma said to him and turned to Belle. "Please do your thing." Emma said to the new Dark One and she went to pass her hands above all of Regina's body and closed her eyes to see what was wrong.

"So?" Emma asked Belle and Elsa looked at both women in total confusion. "Will someone tell me what's happening?" She crossed her arms over her chest and stared. "She's having a miscarriage." Belle answered and Elsa was in a new level of shock. "What is she talking about? Regina isn't pregnant." Elsa turned to Emma. "Or  _is_  she?" She asked and the sheriff bit her lip, shrugged, and it gave Elsa the answer and Henry and her were as baffled as one another.  _Had Regina betrayed her?_  No. It couldn't be. _Could it be Robin's from before meeting her?_ Elsa decided to not think about it.

"Can you save them?" She went closer to Belle. "Maybe, but she needs a transfusion." The auburn-haired told them. "I'll take us to the hospital." Elsa made her hands start glowing white to use her magic. "Not that kind of transfusion, I'm afraid." Belle said. "It's magic what they need. But just like blood, it has to be compatible." The  _dark_  beauty told them. "Her only family is gone… Zelena died months ago." Henry mumbled.

"Wait. This isn't blood; it's magic we're talking about. What if it could be mine?" Emma asked. "Excuse me?" Elsa glared at her. "My parents, they share the same heart. After waking each other from the sleeping curse, they kind of became one with that magic." She moved to kneel beside Regina and Belle. "But you've _never_ shared  _True Love's_  kiss with her." Elsa muttered. "Move away, please." The regal lady grumbled and moved closer to her partner. "I'm not talking about True Love, Elsa." The sheriff said kindly. "I'm talking about  _our_ magic. Regina and I have made it work together before,  _twice_  – It's worth a shot." Emma explained and it made sense, but Elsa was still opposing and Belle had to step in.

"If it works, you will only be saving Regina, Emma." Belle looked with worry at her. "The child doesn't share a bond with you. It might not be able to survive that kind of power at this early stage." Belle said before they tried anything else. She kept sending her magic to Regina to keep her stable, but they didn't have too much time to waste. "So we need to find the father..." The Arendellian exhaled heavily. "Tell me who that is and I will bring him. I promise I won't harm him – even when I want to kill him." Elsa told them as her hands closed into fists. "You don't have to look far. It's you, Elsa." Emma said normally. "What?" The younger woman shook her head and turned to look at Belle. "You mentioned  _early_ _stage?"_  The blue-eyed blonde commented. "Eleven – twelve weeks at most." The beauty said after passing her hands once more over Regina's not-so-flat stomach. "But that was… Oh." Elsa's face flushed red. "What do I do?"

Belle asked her to place her hands over Regina's belly and told Emma to take one of Regina's hands while Henry took the other, being the truest believer. She said some strange words in the ancient language and Regina's silhouette began shimmering in white and purple magic. She asked Elsa and Emma to push their magic into the brunette and it slowly began to flow from their hands into Regina's body. They felt their bodies weaken and after a couple of minutes, Belle made a movement with her hands and ordered them to stop their magic.

Regina slowly opened her eyes and they saw how a golden swirl of light twinkled briefly in brown pools. She slowly rose from the couch but they didn't let her stand up; only rest her back on the cushions. She felt a strange warmth inside her and noticed light shimmering through her clothing. She pulled up her blouse to see her stomach and the silver flicker of magic pulsed once more in her center. "Is that?" She looked at Elsa kneeling before her. "Our baby." The younger woman smiled widely and embraced her, and couldn't help crying. She hid her face in Regina's lap and the brunette turned to look at her son.

"What happened?" Regina asked while placing a hand on Elsa's head over her lap to comfort her. "You made a rapid movement, fell and lost conscience. Elsa called me and I called ma and she called Belle and now you're both safe." Henry summarized the event. "Pretty much." Emma nodded. "We almost lost our little snowflake!" Elsa cried and held on tighter to Regina's torso. "We still might if you continue squeezing." Regina gently lift her chin to see into blue eyes. "Oh – I'm sorry." Her girlfriend released her grip and wiped away the tears.

"Belle… Is it true I'm pregnant?" Regina looked with both hope and fear into her eyes. "Yes." The new magical lady answered and smiled warmly. She closed her eyes for a moment and opened them again. "And she will be just as strong as her mothers, if not more. You'll have to guide her with patience… Protect her fiercely." Belle told them. "Of that you can be sure." Said Regina. "Thank you. All of you." The brunette smiled and couldn't contain her joyful tears.

"Okay, I think I will be going." Emma said. "Let me know if anything is needed." She made a light bow and walked to the door. "Ma." Henry called her. "Yes?" The blonde turned to look at her son. "You didn't bring your car." He frowned and Emma smacked her forehead. "Right… Belle, would it be –?" She turned to the Dark One. "No problem." She smiled and engulfed both of them in the pinkish-red fume that transported them earlier.

Henry went to hug his mother; she kissed him on the cheek and then went to tuck him in with Elsa by her side. He felt he was too old for this, but having almost lost his mother made him more receptive of Regina's love and pampering. She would always see him as her little prince and he decided to reconcile with the idea of being a big baby – but only at home. He smiled and watched his adopted mother and Elsa leave his room and close the door to let him sleep.

"There's no way I'm leaving you tonight, or ever." Elsa said to Regina while coming to embrace her from behind. "I almost lost you and it was the worst experience I could ever endure." She placed a kiss on her bare shoulder and slipped her hands to the front of Regina's body, cupping the light swell of her belly. "Mine, both of you. Feels like a dream." The blonde kissed the brunette's cheek. "I will always be here to protect you. This is my vow to you, to our daughter and to Henry." She said while turning Regina in her arms to face her and saw the sudden glow in her belly again.

"Your child believes you." Regina said smiling and put her hands over Elsa's shoulders. "What about you? Do you believe me,  _Sugarplum_ _?_ " Elsa marked the endearment. "Of course I do. And I'm sorry about earlier, for being so… A total bitch – honestly." Regina smiled apologetic. "No. Never that, my  _one and only."_  Elsa smiled. "You had too much pain, physical and inside your heart and mind." Elsa pecked her lips. "If I had know, I could've helped you better. But what matters is now." She smiled and kissed Regina more slowly this time.

"How do you do it?" Regina asked with a trembling voice and watery eyes. "What?" Elsa moved a hand to caress her cheek gently. "Being so… sweet, selfless and devoted to someone like  _me_ … the Evil Queen?" The brunette looked downcast. "Regina. Look at me, please." Elsa lifted her chin gently. "I told you before; you're worth it. Don't let the shadow of the Evil Queen ever come in between us. Don't let her make you feel unworthy of something like this." Elsa kissed her cheek. "I've forgotten the Ice Queen, why shouldn't you bury the Evil Queen and let Regina live her happy ending?" Sapphire eyes looked deep into chocolate. "I can't do it for you. Only  _you_  can find your happily ever after. Be it with me, Emma – or anyone else." The Queen of Arendelle cupped her face. "I may be entitled, though, because I kind of lean more toward me." She smiled. "Still, your happiness is my priority, Regina."

"There's no one else, dear." Regina scowled. "But what about your happiness? I'm not the best person out there. You could do so much better than me and I don't want you to base your happiness on mine. I am troubled, broken, and some wounds never fully heal. And some bad habits never truly leave." Regina brought a hand to touch Elsa's on her cheek. "I almost kill a man today… If Emma hadn't been there, he would be dead now." The mayor kissed Elsa's palm and removed it from her face. "I will never be purely good, and this child… What if the darkness of my heart passes on to her? I know what I'm capable of… Will she be capable of the same evil as well? I don't want her to be like me. To suffer like I did, or hurt like I did."

"She won't." Elsa said firmly. "Evil isn't born; it's made. Didn't you say that to your sister? Our daughter will have both of us to guide her and if we're not enough, there will be Belle, Henry, Emma, David and even Mary Margaret to help us. You have a big family now that you refuse to see. When Belle told me I could have a family here, I embraced it. I've always wanted to belong and if you hadn't created Storybrooke, I would still be trapped inside an enchanted urn suffering in solitude. You may have done wrong in the past, but you're a different person now and something good came out of the darkness that once surrounded you. I'm sure you wouldn't have killed that man even if Emma hadn't been there. Give yourself more credit."

"He said my child was the spawn of the devil." Regina sighed. "Oh… In that case, I will be the one crushing his neck. Please remind me tomorrow." Elsa smiled and pecked her on the lips. "You're silly." Regina chuckled. "I'm just in love." Elsa took Regina's hands to kiss them. "But as much as I love talking with you, right now I would enjoy more sleeping with you." Said the blonde and Regina raised an eyebrow. "Like, sleeping- _sleeping_  or  _not_   _sleeping_ -sleeping?" The mayor asked and Elsa frowned, she tried to understand but was too tired to continue thinking. "Like when you close your eyes and open them the next day." The blue-eyed responded and a yawn followed. "Oh." Regina nodded. She didn't know they had used a big part of their magic to save her and the baby.

They slipped inside the silk sheets and Elsa beckoned Regina to come closer. "Come, be my chocolate spoon." She asked her and Regina chuckled. "Okay." She got comfortable inside her arms and Elsa's left hand went to rest over Regina's tiny belly. "I can't wait for it to grow bigger." She whispered behind her ear. "Me neither. Good night,  _vanilla spoon_." Regina said awkwardly. "That's a poor attempt at an endearment, copy-cat." Elsa tickled her and Regina chortled. "I know. I will leave the sobriquets to you."


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Adult theme.

A new day came and Regina was peacefully sleeping through it, but Elsa was an early riser and started Henry's breakfast on time. She also made his lunchbox and smuggled extra cookies and a Snickers chocolate bar for the teenager. He smiled and thanked her for the effort and then Emma came to take him to school. Elsa had called her half an hour earlier so they had enough time before the bell rang. She also called Ruby to let her know she would be late, asked her for the late shift instead and had Stacy cover for her. She was really excited about her little family and helping Regina in as much as she could.

Before Regina woke up, Elsa was back in bed caressing her hair gently. She looked at her sleeping face and smiled imagining their daughter.  _Will she look like you?_  Would she have those mysterious dark eyes, or would they be blue like hers? What about the color of her hair? Small button lips? Sun-kissed skin, or moonlight pale? It filled Elsa with so much curiosity and illusion to find out. She wanted to see their baby in the small gap between her and Regina in bed this moment.

"What are you thinking?" Regina asked after opening her eyes lazily and smiling for her lover, who kept looking at her face in a dream-like state. "About how beautiful our daughter will be if she looks like you," she smiled warmly and brushed a brown curl away from Regina's face. "Or like you. You're the most beautiful woman in all the realms," Regina tapped Elsa's nose. "No, you are!" Elsa said and kissed Regina's tip of the nose. "Yes, I am." Regina smirked playfully and it earned her Elsa's tickling. "Elsa! Don't –" She couldn't talk because she had to laugh. "Please, Elsa! I'm serious!" Another chuckle and Elsa had just too much fun seeing Regina smile and laugh out loud. It was the first time she heard her laughter so open and carefree, and it was adorable.

"Ok, I'll stop." Elsa took Regina's hand and kissed it. "NO..." The brunette suddenly exclaimed and startled the blonde. "What day is today?" Regina looked at the clock on her nightstand. "I overslept." She tried to leave bed but Elsa still had her hand in her grasp. "It's Friday and don't worry," she pulled lightly to make Regina stop. "Henry's at school. I took care of it, my love." The blonde said calmly and Regina relaxed. "Thank you. You didn't have to –  _wait._  You're late for work." Regina looked at her with worry. "And so are you and yet Storybrooke's still standing." The blue-eyed grinned and Regina smiled. "You're right."

Regina kissed Elsa's rosy lips softly. "Just let me make a phone call to postpo—" The mayor was speaking but Elsa completed for her. "Postpone the meeting, it's been done." She sneered and Regina raised an eyebrow. "How about that," she looked at Elsa with astonishment. "I called your assistant to let her know you were still feeling ill and couldn't attend to the meeting. It will be re-scheduled for next week." Elsa said formally and Regina was amazed. "I'm impressed. You make a better assistant than Bettie," said the mayor.

"That's because I am proactive." The blonde touched Regina's belly. "And  _highly_ productive." She kissed it gently. "See?" Elsa smirked proudly over the small bump. "I do… but, how did  _this_  happen?" Regina looked down at her little belly and back into blue eyes with confusion, still costing her a lot to believe she was really expecting a baby — and from Elsa. "You know how babies are made…" Elsa blushed lightly. "I do, which is exactly why I have no explanation, love. How did you do this?" Regina looked intently into blue pools as her hand went to her tiny bump.

Elsa felt her cheeks turn red with the sudden heat that rose to her face. It was embarrassing to talk about  _certain things_ , it was much better  _doing_  than  _speaking_ about the  _technicalities_  and she needed no explanation to believe she had put that little bundle of joy inside her partner. They were magical and for Elsa that was the logical answer. Still, _how… How?_ She blushed. It wasn't like she had done it premeditatedly — not that she wouldn't  _not_  do it on purpose again in the future now that she knew they could have a linage.

"After True Love's kiss … It was me who — Do I really need to describe it?" The blonde pulled one of the pillows to hide her face momentarily and then peeked from behind to see Regina's amused grin.  _"I would much rather do than say."_  The younger woman thought loudly and Regina heard.

"Oh. Then… do." Regina moved closer and laid on her side, and removed the pillow in between them. She looked into sapphire eyes lovingly and caressed Elsa's cheek before slowly going for her lips to kiss them. "I think I need to be  _reminded_  what we did that day." The brown-eyed whispered over flushed lips and Elsa felt her heart beat faster and her body temperature rising, it had been weeks since they last shared an intimate moment together.

Blue eyes looked deep into brown and Elsa's hand went to Regina's shoulder and slowly traveled down the curve of her arm, waist and parked over her hip. "I desire you more than anything," whispered the younger woman as she gently pushed Regina to lay on her back, crawled on top of her and balanced her weight on her hands at the sides of the brunette's head, as her right knee came to sit between Regina's open legs, just as Regina's laid in between hers. She leaned down to kiss Regina's mouth and rolled her tongue gently over her lips teasingly. Regina parted her mouth lightly and welcomed the warm tongue of her partner to touch and play with her own in a sultry kiss that was unhurried.

Elsa slowly parted from Regina's lips to slide her tongue down her neck sensually, stopping for a moment to suckle lightly at soft skin – enough to make it redden, but not as much to mark it. She loved Regina's flawless complexion and the idea of bruising it with a hickey was un-tasteful for the regal lady. "Mmm…" She heard Regina's moan and felt her own skin get goose bumps from the sensuality in that husky voice — so undoubtedly Regina's — letting her know she was enjoying her licks and suckles… and then she tried something new; a small bite. "Aah…" Regina moaned once more and bit her bottom lip, and Elsa knew she had enjoyed that playful nip close to her collarbone, so she continued.

Rosy lips rolled down the valley of Regina's cleavage and her tongue licked lightly before placing a kiss in the middle of her chest, then moved to one of Regina's small firm breasts and teased her nipple with the tip of her warm humid tongue, while thumb and index finger taunted the other. Another moan graced her and Elsa tried again; nipped with her teeth at the perky bud and made Regina gasp and bring her hands to Elsa's face and pull her into a hungry kiss. They made-out more heatedly and Elsa pressed her thigh against Regina's center, making her groan, and continued moving her leg to stimulate the sensitive spot through the thin layer of laced underwear.

She felt humidity dampen the fabric with her gentle friction and slid a hand down Regina's torso to come in contact with the hem of her sexy black panties. She rolled her fingertips across the elastic and pulled playfully but released it and moved down to stroke humid flesh folds from over the gossamer layer. Regina felt grow even wetter and whispered in Elsa's ear a throaty "I want you." Elsa smiled and a cool breeze of bluish-white magic swirled around Regina's lingerie and made it disappear. "The sight of you… breath taking." The Queen of Arendelle said as her eyes indulged in the vision. Regina smiled and used her own purple magic to make Elsa's blue nightgown vanish. "Come here _._ " Regina beckoned Elsa to kiss her once more.

After kissing red lips, Elsa moved down to kiss Regina's tummy and whispered a mellow "my little princess," to her baby inside and made Regina's eyes well up with emotion but contained the tears. She placed one more kiss and Regina's stomach glowed in response, making both women smile widely. "Sleep, baby, take a nap. Your mommies need a little time." The blonde said sweetly and the small bump glowed a last time.

Elsa moved lower down, brushing soft lips over tender skin until they reached to the source of her lover's honeydew. "Mmm," she hummed as her lips enveloped the tiny pearl hidden under pink petals of flesh. Regina quivered in response and her hands went to the platinum head in between her legs, fingers holding on to blonde tresses.

"May I?" The blonde looked from under long lashes at the brunette blushing. "Please." Regina pleaded; her body aching for Elsa to enter that hot pit burning with desire. A single finger first teased the opening and then, gently, two pushed into her body. Elsa's touch was delicate but determined and Regina gasped when she felt the accompanying slurp to her little bud trapped inside her partner's mouth. Her body tensed and her fingers gripped on Elsa's hair, making her know she was doing well, and fingers massaged inner walls while her mouth and tongue continued teasing Regina's most sensitive point.

The first strong wave of pleasure came and the brunette's torso started to contort on its own, but this only encouraged the Queen of Arendelle to dig deeper, twist and pull out her fingers – only to repeat the movement and make Regina writhe in bed. Seeing Regina squirm with pleasure filled her with delight and Elsa felt her own body melt with Regina's. The mayor's legs started to clamp around her and she decided to release the pearl trapped in her hot mouth, and moved up in search of Regina's mouth. They locked lips and Regina could taste some of her own dew from Elsa's mouth in that flurried kiss.

Their gazes met for a moment and Elsa's eyes flickered silver like they some times did involuntarily and they became connected beyond understanding. Elsa's body started  _feeling_  what Regina's was experiencing and the snow enchantress felt as her fingers thrust inside her. Her hand and whole body began to glisten and they closed their eyes to continue kissing, enjoying their lovemaking. But when the strong quake of orgasm made their bodies tremble, Regina also felt something  _else_  be released inside her and Elsa collapsed on top of her right after, tired and agitated.

Regina opened her eyes slowly and watched as Elsa carefully retrieved her weakly glowing hand from between sweat-beaded inner thighs.  _So *that*_   _was what happened._  Regina realized it'd been Elsa's pure light what filled her and created the life now growing in her once barren womb. It had been involuntary, another of her sporadic bursts of magic when her feelings were too grand to suppress. Elsa's magic was still unpredictable and immeasurable, Regina would have to think about a way to control it or they would be having many more children in the years to follow and she wasn't sure she wanted that – not that she wasn't happy about having  _this_  baby. Their firstborn.

Regina looked around her and smiled at the view of thousands little snowflakes in the air, shimmering as they slowly fell to melt all around them. It was always like that when they had intimacy and it still amused Regina to know these were a confirmation that her beloved Elsa had  _really_  enjoyed their encounter. She feared it could stop happening eventually and mean the ending of their love story.

The Queen of Storybrooke began to suffer from the sole idea and Elsa quickly went to kiss her. "Love, it won't happen. My heart is yours for no less than eternity." She smiled gently and Regina was slightly bewildered.  _Did Elsa read the mind, too?_  She suspected. "We're connected. I don't know how my powers do it, but I can _feel_  what you're feeling this moment, know what you fear – and NO. We will always be together and I assure you my love for you is infinite," said Elsa and placed a kiss on Regina's shoulder.

 _Hormones be damned._  Regina's tears fell and Elsa put kisses on the corners of her eyes. "I'm sorry. I never thought, and still can't quite believe, I could be loved like this." The brunette smiled warmly and brushed Elsa's hair gently. "I'm honored to be the one to change your mindset," said the blonde and kissed Regina's forehead and the connection began to fade slowly.

The mayor smiled and then her stomach grumbled audibly, making Regina blush brightly in embarrassment but Elsa grin widely. "Breakfast was also taken care of. We only need to re-heat." She tapped Regina's nose and quickly got up and went to the closet to retrieve two robes. "Come. Let's go feed our little snowflake." Elsa helped Regina slip inside the robe and tied it for her. "My Queen and little princess." The blonde pecked Regina on the lips and fondled her stomach lovingly.

* * *

(Later that day)

Regina called Emma to make sure Henry would be in the station because she wished to see him as it was weekend — what meant not seeing him until late Sunday and, with her being very emotional, she wanted to kiss him and bring him his bag of clothing. She felt the need to do all those little things she used to when he was much smaller but, thankfully for him, there would soon be a new baby on which to focus her attention and let him be a teenager. He just had to endure six more months of overprotectiveness.

Regina decided to go to the office later, as Elsa would be covering the late shift and stopped first in the diner to drop her off and then went to the station. She got inside the police building and Henry went straight to her arms because he knew this would make her very happy. Emma had told him the first and last months of pregnancy were a "bitch" and he had to be extra patient and loving with his adopted mother. Regina's smile was brighter than the summer sky they still had outside in response and Emma smiled contently at the image. It didn't hurt anymore to see Regina so close and yet not with her, and seeing her this happy made the sheriff joyful as well.

"Hey." Emma came from her office to greet the mayor. "Hey." Regina responded coolly and Henry used the opportunity to break the embrace and go hide his junk food in a drawer from the desk assigned to no other than him. It paid to be the sheriff and the mayor's kid, not to mention the White Queen and King's grandson.

Emma took a few steps closer and brought a hand to touch Regina's arm with care. "How are you feeling?" She asked with genuine concern. "I'm feeling good, thank you… For helping me, us, and for earlier that day — for all your support." The brunette smiled and awkwardly extended a hand, and Emma took it but surprised the other woman by gently pulling her into a hug. Regina blinked and felt a little odd but her hands went to Emma's back slowly and returned the embrace. "You don't need to thank me for that. Many of us would suffer if we suddenly lost you. You're family." Emma said still holding Regina in an embrace and parted slowly. Regina smiled and nodded, unable to come with any words afterwards. She still had a length to go to become accustomed to friendly displays of affection.

The mayor delivered Henry's bag of clothing and when Henry looked hopeful inside it, his brow furrowed and a deep sigh followed in discontent. "Still grounded," he mumbled, unhappy about having had his spell book taken away nearly three months ago after his accidental  _Emma sexy pants_  spell. Which hadn't paid off yet, as it had brought a little more trouble than actual help.

Dena had been persistent but incompatible; Lauren had been perfect but not for her and Ruby, she was still avoiding her. But the worst part had been having Hook follow her around for nearly a month, insisting that what they had was True Love and that she'd just been in a phase of  _queerxploration_  or something, until he went as far as saying he could prove it and forced his lips on hers — that was the end of it. Needless to say he couldn't walk properly for days from the amount of strength Emma used with her knee this time. It reminded him of that one in New York, multiplied by a tenfold.

Regina went to her office and tried to catch up with work, she didn't like leaving things pending for too long and it made her think about the last weeks of her pregnancy, where she would be sent home to rest and wait for the due day. It was stressful to even think about it, being mayor was what she knew doing – staying home wasn't. She'd always brought Henry with her to the office as a baby, but she never carried one in her belly.  _How am I going to do this?_  She questioned herself, she felt scared. It had been thirteen years since she cared for a baby, changed diapers, prepared a bottle and  _not_ slept full hours. Henry had been three weeks old when she got him, his feedings were a little farther in between than what a newborn would require. "Grrr… This is your fault." Regina growled at the picture of Elsa she had over the desk. Henry had taken it with his cellphone one day the three of them went bowling.

Elsa was working late but the invitation still stood and Ruby approached her while she was cleaning a table. "Hey! Don't think that having changed your shift today will save you from joining us at the Rabbit Hole." The brunette warned as she came to clean the table on the side. "The Rabbit Ho— Oh! I had completely forgotten." The blonde palmed her face. "NO." Ruby lifted her index finger at her like an angry teacher. "You're not playing dumb again, I don't buy it." She scolded. "I'm really sorry, Ruby, I can't." Elsa said with guilt. "No! You  _are_  coming, or I'll be taking your tips tonight to drink in your favor." The werewolf threatened with a lower voice. "Oh, you can do that." The blonde said without anger. "What's a mere drink when I have a wonderful woman waiting for me home and a babe on the way." Elsa said absentmindedly, forgetting Regina's pregnancy was still a secret only known by Emma and Belle outside of their little unit – and that hideous doctor.

"WHAT?" Ruby shouted and nearly jumped, and Elsa realized she had just spoken without thinking and didn't know if Regina would be okay with her sharing their secret so soon. "Nothing. Nada. I didn't speak." The star waitress looked around nervously and moved to clean another table quickly to evade the brunette. "Hey! Regina's preggers?" Ruby followed behind her and asked in secret. "Well… She… Me… I… We…" The blonde started babbling nervously. "Argh! Just spit it out for Pete's sake." The other woman lost her patience.

"We made magic?" Elsa looked into lighter blue eyes with doubt. "You're asking me? Gurl, that much is obvious if what you said is true." The brunette rolled eyes. "And that's… Wow. It's…" The werewolf was looking for the right word. "Please don't say an abomination, or the spawn of the devil like that awful doctor." Elsa looked downcast. "I was going to say amazing, Elsa. Did Whale really say that?" Ruby narrowed her gaze. "Yes." The blonde nodded. "Holy shit. Is he still alive?" The red-lipped asked with worry. "Of course he is." Elsa glared. "Duh… Sorry, I have a big mouth." Ruby smiled apologetically.

Ruby stopped insisting and went with Belle to the Rabbit Hole and there they came across Cinderella while she hangout with her husband and some of his friends. She wasn't very comfortable with the posh crew and found it perfect timing to join Ruby and Belle instead. They drank and laughed at things men did to gain their attention but it was interesting how none of them approached Belle to court her.

After a week from that scary storm, Regina and Belle came to the agreement of saying Rumplestiltskin's death had been self-inflicted, which was true but with a few changes here and there. The answer they gave to the Storybrooke Daily was that the loss of his son had been too painful to bare and when the celebration of his birthday came, Rumplestiltskin was instead mourning his death in the cemetery and Belle didn't anticipate his next action; drawing out the dagger to kill himself. She said she tried to stop him but she couldn't and since her hands had been gripping on the dagger, too, it turned her into the new Dark One.

No man dared approach her and she was thankful. She still ached for Rumplestiltskin but she was no longer alone. She had returned home to her mother and her father and even Gaston was part of her life again. They were on friendly terms, still, but he didn't loose hope on gaining her affections once again and he kept showing his support. He listened to her when she needed to talk and Belle was content he could now answer to her questions and offer words of solace.

Living the last decades in that enchantment taught him patience. He had been just a rose but Belle cared for him and he would treat her with the same delicacy he learned from her. It was similar yet different from Rumple's care. When they had their quiet moments, Rumplestiltskin was the most loving man. But when the hunger for power consumed him, he turned into a beast she sometimes even feared. But Gaston was sweet, gentle and his days as  _Casanova_  seemed to have been left behind him in the fairytale world. He had eyes only for her but wasn't pushy, he wanted Belle to come to him on her own time and free will.

They asked Belle about Gaston and she had only nice things to say about him, but she felt like she  _had_  to complain to be in tune with the other two and mentioned how tall he was for her, and Cinderella and Ruby both rolled their eyes. "That must be SO frustrating." Ruby said with sarcasm. "And he's so totally  _NOT_  hot." Cinderella admitted after a few drinks and made Belle blush. "Looks are not my priority…" The beauty tried to protest and they teased her because that much was obvious, given who her husband had been – not the most handsome stud around. But this new guy…  _Ooh lala,_  Cinderella was almost drooling at the idea of him in possibly no clothes.

They were picking on poor Belle when the sight of a red leather jacket caught their eyes. They watched as Emma went over to the bar for a drink, oblivious of the group of girls, and waited for Ryan to give her the sturdy mug with beer.

"Hey! Emma!" Cinderella shouted and Emma looked around. "No!" Ruby squeaked in her ear but the younger blonde ignored her and waved her hand and then Emma saw the table of ladies. "Damn you, Cindy." Ruby grumbled when she saw Emma start walking in their direction. "Why are you mad? And why didn't you invite her? I thought you were besties." Cinderella asked the werewolf. "Ugh, long story short – I don't wanna tell you." The brunette stick out her tongue and the blonde took offense. "You smelly wolf cub!" She tried to get at Ruby from across the table and accidentally spilled their drinks. They all got up from their seats on reflex to avoid the liquid from ruining their outfits but Ruby got the worst from it, as she had ordered a yard-long Moonshine – sponsored by Elsa – now gone… on her.

"That doesn't look nice." Emma said as her brow furrowed in solidarity with the ladies trying to dry their tops with napkins. "You bitch!" Ruby growled at Cinderella but the younger woman was too tipsy to care and started laughing out loud and pointed with a finger to the brunette's top. "Woah! Careful with those  _guns_ , sister." She laughed and Ruby blushed red bright, noticing her  _lights_  were  _up_  because of the coldness of the beverage that drenched her top and made it stick to her body and become even more revealing. "I think someone's had enough alcohol for a night." Belle said as she came to Cinderella's side. "Let's go take some air." She dragged her with her to  _unintentionally_  leave Ruby alone with Emma.  _How fucking great._  Ruby's glare followed them until they disappeared behind the exit door.

"So… How are you?" Emma asked, hands fidgeting with her mug of beer. "Not good, as you can see." Ruby grumbled and then regretted it because Emma eyed her unintentionally and both women blushed at the sight of still pointy peaks. "Sorry. You know, I could help you with that." The blonde offered and it seemed an indecorous proposition. "I mean, with the wetness. My magic. Damn! That really sounded more awful than intended." Emma was having trouble connecting her mouth with her brain, or detaching it from her  _hoo-ha_  — but it made Ruby chuckle. "Okay. Try." The brunette said while still crossing her arms over her chest to hide her embarrassing nipples from public sight.

Emma closed her eyes to focus and a swirl of white magic made Ruby's blouse become dry at once. "It worked." Ruby grinned and Emma opened her eyes. "Really?" She asked with astonishment. "Yes. Why are you surprised? Did you…  _not_  think you could do it?" The brunette came closer. "Um, yeah?" Emma looked apologetic. "So you _could_  have made it blow-out instead. Geez! Kinda friend you are?" The werewolf glowered and pinched her arm playfully. "Ugh, sorry? I just wanted to help and it actually worked." The blonde took a gulp from her beer and averted her eyes. "Yah, well, you did." Ruby relaxed and couldn't avoid smiling for her friend. The friend she'd been avoiding because she wanted to hump right there,  _right now_  – no.  _Stop thinking about it._  Ruby mentally scolded herself.

After a waiter cleaned the table, they sat down together and began talking about what they had been up to until now. Time seemed not to pass for them and the tension that had been there in the beginning started to fade away. Ruby kept smiling for Emma and Emma kept smiling back at her. A few more drinks came and with the loss of inhibition their hands slowly began to brush against each other's  _unintentionally._

They found themselves walking down the street, even when they had come in their cars, and stopped to sit on a bench where a streetlight sometimes flickered. It was a very quiet and warm night of summer and tiredness mixed with tipsiness started to take its toll on them. Their eyelids began to feel heavier each time they closed and opened and Ruby leaned her head to rest over Emma's shoulder while looking at the barren street.

"I have really missed your company," said Emma as her hand took Ruby's in hers to squeeze lightly but the brunette couldn't come with a reply. Hearing Emma say that made a knot in her throat – there was so much she wanted to tell her and yet she didn't have the guts to. But her silence made Emma worry and turn her face in search of Ruby's eyes, but they were closed and she then noticed alluring red lips; she felt drawn into them but shook away the feeling. "Are you… asleep?" Emma asked when she saw her eyes weren't opening.

Ruby was thinking what to say but she was also half-asleep and took a little too long to emit a sound. Emma thought she had probably fallen asleep and with her free hand, she caressed Ruby's cheek softly. "You're so beautiful. I wish I had seen it before." It was a soft whisper but it made Ruby's heart beat fast inside her. Still, not a word came out of those lips. "I wonder if it's not too late…" Emma mumbled and started to bring her face much closer to the other but stopped for a moment, thinking it was wrong, but she really needed to know if this was the one to undo her. She hoped she was because her heart was now racing inside her ribcage as though it might burst out of her chest. She closed her eyes and then the distance in between their mouths, kissing red lips tender and sweet.

Emma didn't see the light that shimmered briefly, but felt when a hand came to her face and cupped it in acceptance of her feelings, returning just as much care in this first kiss between them as the one she was putting. They didn't know for how long they shared it, until the moment was broken by a drunk passing by shouting things at someone, at them. "Can I watch when you two get it on, love?" It was Hook and Emma wanted to incinerate him that moment. They ignored him and went to the parking lot for their cars. The tavern had closed a couple of hours ago and there was the faintest hint of light coming from behind the mountain.

Emma stood beside Ruby near her old mustang and awkwardly searched for her hand to take it in hers. Ruby smiled and instead tugged on her red jacket to pull her into another kiss, more secure and sensual, making Emma's every cell vibrate. The Sherriff's hands went to explore those curves she'd often ogled but never touched and it was exciting. She cupped big breasts with her hands and continued making-out with the brunette until lack of oxygen made them part to breathe.

"That was…" Emma mumbled. "Just a taste of what you'll have with me." Ruby completed for her and pulled her into another heated kiss, until need for sleep became evident when both of them yawned after finishing their groping session in the middle of the parking lot. "See you tomorrow?" Emma asked hopeful. "You bet." Ruby grinned and then got inside her car to drive home. "Goodnight." Emma smiled and leaned down after Ruby turned down her window to kiss a last time for this day.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut, fluff and angst; all wrapped in a mind-fuck update.

Elsa was brushing her hair in the bathroom when Regina came from behind and slipped her hands around her torso, nestled her chin over her shoulder and whispered a soft "good morning" to the waitress getting ready for work after a shower. Elsa smiled and apologized for having awakened her so early with the noise, but the mayor told her it was fine and delicate fingers began undoing the blonde's bathrobe, much to her surprise.

"Regina… I will be late." Elsa mumbled feebly, her eyes closing at the sensation of soft lips on her earlobe. "Shhh… You won't. Even if I have to change time in Storybrooke," said the mayor and began kissing down her nape, and gently moved the plush fabric covering Elsa's shoulder to kiss warm skin. "You would?" The blonde looked curiously at Regina from their reflection on the mirror. "I will. Right now." Regina grinned and waved a hand, and the image of the clock tower appeared on the mirror of her vanity. "Watch," said the brunette and made the clock go back an hour.

"Can you  _really_  turn back time?" Elsa asked in astonishment. "No. I'll just fool the fools, which isn't that difficult of a task, as you may have noticed already. Every clock will go back to the right time at midnight," responded Regina with a mischievous grin. "Oh, you're naughty." Elsa licked her suddenly dry lips. "You have  _no_  idea," the mayor said in her husky voice while opening the bathrobe the blonde was wearing, and made the mirror show their reflection once again to see the regal lady's nude body and devour the image with lustful eyes. "Beautiful," whispered the mayor behind her ear and tugged on the cottony fabric to make the robe fall and pool under their feet.

Hands went up to cup Elsa's breasts and she could feel Regina's hot breath caress her neck, making her nearly melt. "God, I want to fuck you right here," said the brunette as she turned the blonde to face her. Elsa was somewhat surprised; they hadn't really used _that_  kind of language, but it was arousing to see the sensual brunette show raw desire. "Here?" Elsa looked around them —  _Shower? Tub? Floor? Vanity?_  — unsure of  _where_ to accommodate. "Yes." Regina summoned magical strength to lift Elsa from the floor and put her over the counter of her vanity with one quick movement, causing several small bottles of lotion, perfume, and make-up roll over the marble and fall to the floor.

Elsa squealed in surprise but Regina's mouth was fast on hers to muffle the cry with a hungry kiss. "Mmm… Re…gi…na," the younger woman moaned in between kisses, feeling the mayor's lips flurry down her neck, the middle of her chest, and moving to lick and kiss peachy breasts. Regina's hands then went down to squeeze toned thighs and the mature woman groaned a deep: "I want to eat you  _so_  badly," and continued going down Elsa's torso; her tongue now tracing the outer of her belly button. Elsa was completely soaked at this point; she bit her bottom lip nervously and stared back into brown eyes with a look sheer of desire. "Tell me how much you want me." Regina demanded and Elsa blushed impossibly redder. "I… I want you to… take me." The blonde answered shyly and it brought a mischievous smirk to the brunette's face. "You don't sound convincing," the mayor took a step back. "No! Don't go. I really  _really_  want you." Elsa felt slightly alarmed. "Please."

Regina's lips curled upwards and dark eyes leisurely ogled the blonde's body, stopping where creamy thighs moved to hide obvious arousal shyly. "Don't." Regina uttered when the younger woman brought her knees together. "Let me see you," the brunette ordered and the blonde slowly spread her legs and averted her eyes. Regina sneered and took Elsa's right hand in hers, and guided it to touch at that center dripping with ardor. Elsa felt her own juice moisten her fingers and got both more aroused and even more embarrassed, but Regina didn't want her shying. "Tell me…" The brunette ordered as she brought Elsa's hand closer to her mouth this time and sought her eyes. "What do you want me to do?" The mayor asked in sultry tone. "I want you to _fuck_  me." Elsa ordered in the voice of a true Queen, blue eyes looking back into brown, and Regina licked the sweet piquant nectar right off Elsa's slim fingers. "Mmm… And I will…  _my_  Queen."

Regina knelt close to the edge of the counter and claimed Elsa's dewy flower with her hot mouth; a leg came up over her shoulder and droop behind her back whilst the girl held her weight on elbows and forearms over the cool Italian marble, head tilted back, and her chest rose and fell with growing pace as the mayor worked tenaciously with tongue and fingers to bring her into an orgasm that didn't take long to buildup. The brunette savored the prize of her achievement and it took Elsa a couple of minutes to come back from wherever her spirit had been sent to with that climax.

After coming down from the counter, Elsa decided she needed another shower and Regina was happy to join her, and again made her come undone while warm droplets of water rolled down their bodies. Being pregnant  _today_ was making her boldly sexual and seeing the beautiful woman she had for partner did nothing to ease the physical craving, quite the contrary, but she could easily get used to  _this_ particular symptom.  _Adios nausea, hello Elsa._ Her _s_ econd trimester was around the corner and seemed much more promising than the hell she'd been living in the first one.

* * *

Elsa arrived in time to work, thanks to every single clock in Storybrooke having been delayed an hour, and was even earlier than Ruby — who looked like she could use an extra- _extra_  hour of sleep this moment. Her usually impish grin after a night of alcohol and naughtiness was replaced by a  _foolish_  grin and Elsa wondered if she was still drunk. But if she looked in a mirror, Elsa would see that her own smile today was wider than ever and had a tint of mischief.

"Looks like _someone_  had a good time." Ruby pointed at Elsa's grin. "See who speaks," responded the blonde and summoned a mirror with magic to show the werewolf just how silly she looked with her  _idiot_  grin. They were the only ones at the front of the diner and there were no clients yet. "Well, I had the best night ever." Ruby let out a deep dreamy sigh and went to sit down on a table, cradled her chin in her hands and stared into nothingness. "And you? What's your excuse?" She asked Elsa as she joined her at the table. "Best morning ever," replied the star waitress and smirked.

They both talked about their reasons to be happy this day, minus unnecessary details, and Elsa started speaking about her magic. She couldn't go last night with the ladies to party and shared with Ruby her magic was a birth gift — although it had seemed a curse most of her life. She'd had it manifest from an early age but couldn't control it until recently with Regina's help, however not completely — hence the magical pregnancy. But what Ruby couldn't believe was the part where Elsa had been  _Queen_  and the blonde was amused by how  _that_  was what resulted most shocking to her buddy, instead of her apocalyptical outbursts of magic. For Ruby it had been shocking to learn that since Granny had  _suggested_  – in her royal face – Elsa might have been a courtesan in the fairytale world, because of her practiced elegant manners and eagerness to please, back when she just joined her crew of service. Granny could really embarrass her sometimes and Ruby felt the need to apologize in name of her un-tactful grandmother, but Elsa didn't mind it  _that much_  and continued sharing.

Elsa avoided the painful parts about Anna, Hans and the confrontation here with Rumplestiltskin and his  _temporary puppet_  (Emma) for the sake of the Savior. She didn't really hold a grudge toward her – though she wouldn't go as far as calling her a friend – and speaking about the  _dark side_  of the person Ruby loved wouldn't be well received by the recently  _un-friendzoned-turned-girlfriend_ werewolf. It was better to support her with Emma and that way sleep with more peace because she still feared, deep down, the Savior could  _still_ get the former Evil Queen to fall back for her. They were awfully similar physically and Elsa knew Regina had first liked her because of that resemblance; it was a feeling that might never fully go away.

Elsa would always show security and strength with the mayor, but in her depths; she would often feel the contrary and feared losing her True Love. This world was different to the fairy tale one and not only technologically, but in the ways of the heart, too. So she continued doing everything in her power to assure Regina of her feelings, and pleased her every whim. But,  _no_ , she repeated herself Regina had left her past with the Savior behind and loved her for who she was – not for her similarities with Emma. She was with her for  _her, right?_ Not because of looks, or the baby. Elsa's mind trailed off but the bell at the front announcing a customer brought her back to the present.

They had to start working when Leroy made his appearance, always first client, and the day at the breakfast began to get busy. Emma didn't take long to appear with Henry for their meal either and kept smiling like an idiot at the brunette waitress whenever she walked by. Henry would just roll his eyes and focus on his food or playing candy crush on his cellphone; finding it annoying to see adults acting like  _buffoons_  over love and, well, he was permanently irritated that they hadn't yet given him back his spells book. Hopefully, with both his moms being busy drooling like idiots with their girlfriends, he could continue playing his wits in his favor to recover the book of magic sooner than later.

Henry reminded Emma he would be going to the library to spend some time with Belle – being his grandma  _(sort of)_ – _and secretly learn more about magic while in there_ , as the now Dark One (or rather grey?) had her hands full with Gold's shop added to her book-keeping and eventual visits to aid her parents in the flower shop. Regina and Emma had agreed to his idea of helping in the library on Saturdays, only because Belle assured them she wouldn't let him play with magic, and he'd been of great help to the librarian in the five weeks he'd been going to  _test the waters_  and  _earn points._ Smart kid he was. Emma and Regina had been privately discussing in the last week to give him back the book this Sunday.

It was almost Elsa's break when her cellphone began ringing and she went to the kitchen to answer it with worry. Regina never called at this hour, always waited until it was her end of shift, and the waitress became worried she might be feeling ill again.

"Is everything alright?" Elsa immediately asked, wasting no time in a greeting. "Yes. I just… wanted to hear your voice." Regina admitted from the other end of the line and Elsa felt her heart swell. "Aw… that's so sweet to hear. Will you come for lunch, Sunshine?" The blonde asked with a big smile. "Yes. I will be there once I'm done with some papers." The mayor replied. "Great! I can't wait to see you." The blonde said with excitement, but Granny coming to glare at her made her change tone. "Look, I gotta go." The blonde said quickly. "But I miss you." Regina said sadly and it charmed Elsa beyond possibility, but Granny wasn't cutting her glare on her. "Ugh. I really have to go now, honey, but we'll be close soon. See ya!" The call ended and Regina's brow furrowed. "Elsa? Elsa!" The mayor growled, she had never had Elsa hang-up on her and got furiously… depressed.

Regina balled the papers she was supposed to sign, tossed them away and folded her arms over her chest, glaring furiously while tears streamed down her face.  _Why did you hang-up?_  She asked herself and had an idea. She got up from her desk and went straight to her mirror. "Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Show me whom has made my Elsa go," she intoned and the reflection showed her the moment Granny came to reprimand Elsa for taking her break  _earlier_  and told her she would be working extra to make up for the  _stolen_  time; emphasizing she wouldn't be giving her royal treatment just because she was Regina's consort. The waitress had already made them call Stacy to cover for her the day the mayor fell ill and Granny didn't appreciate people tampering with her rules and schedule.

Regina's nostrils flared and a vein could be seen pulsing in the middle of her forehead with anger. That old pathetic  _werebitch_  had no right to keeping her apart from her lover, and she didn't like the cocky tone she used with Elsa on the slightest. _Okay,_ old hag spoke like that to  _everyone,_  but still Regina wouldn't have it.  _No._  Not to Elsa, Queen of Arendelle and Mistress of Regina's Resilient Heart — who happened to be the  _Evil_ Queen of the Enchanted Forest — and  _currently_  RAGING Mayor of Storybrooke on her twelfth-going-on-thirteenth week of pregnancy.

Her mirror broke from the intensity with which she was staring at the image and the mayor went to grab the keys of her Mercedes from the drawer, and Bettie just watched with fear as her boss stormed out of the office through doors that burst open with magic.  _Screw it._ Regina saw she didn't even need her car and puffed in a cloud of  _silvery_  powder right from the lobby.

Thick smoke announced a new arrival in the eatery and everyone moved aside to give the mayor some space, and Ruby quickly went to open the door so the magical fume could dissipate. They didn't really fear Regina like in the past now, and didn't even feel surprised by the dramatic entrance, but it was the look in her dark eyes what reminded them of the Evil Queen and all eaters went silent and pretended to not be there.

"Regina?" Elsa approached with confusion but happily surprised to see her. "You're early… Did you miss me that much?" The blonde smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "Yes." Regina answered somewhat dismissively whilst brown eyes looked around the diner in search of a  _salt and pepper_  head. "Do you want anything in special, honey?" Elsa narrowed her gaze on the brunette. "Indeed I do. I wish to speak with the  _alpha_ in this establishment." Regina responded and finally saw the grey-haired lady coming from the kitchen door.

"Alpha's still got a good ear, Regina. What do you want?" The old lady said as she walked in direction of the mayor, unimpressed by her display of power. Granny was in her territory and knew Regina wouldn't do anything more than give empty threats. She had been feeding the town for three decades now and not even the  _Evil Queen_  would dare erasing her from the surface of this earth, specially not Regina; who had a son that loved the junk he could eat here together with his Sheriff mother.

"What I want is for you to show more respect for Elsa, whom, unlike the rest of your crew, is not a peasant you can exploit and manhandle." Regina groaned and people began paying for their meals and cautiously sneaking through the still open door before hell broke loose. They didn't know which could be worse: Regina's anger or Granny's fury.

The old lady slowly removed her round glasses and glared intently at the Mayor. "I treat my pack however the hell I want. If they don't like it, they can leave at any time." The mature woman blurted and began cleaning her glasses with a small cloth she pulled from her apron.

"Regina, what are you doing?" Elsa asked in bewilderment; she looked at her partner, then her boss, and finally Ruby – both girls incredibly shocked and puzzled.  _Da fuck did I miss?_  Ruby gave her friend a look and Elsa shrugged in mutual confusion. "I'm taking you out of here." Regina muttered, brown eyes intense on grey-green non-moving.

"Once you go through that door, you may not return, child." Granny said to Elsa but her eyes were still on Regina's. "What? Why?" Elsa shook her head and the old woman finally broke eye contact with the mayor to look at her. "I told you to leave the drama home," responded Granny tiredly, put back her glasses and stared at the  _royal_  pain-in-the-ass Mayor.

"You'll worry no more about drama,  _Granny."_  Regina said with disdain. "She quits." The brunette smirked and took Elsa's hand to turn to the door. "I what?" Elsa was astonished and it took her a moment to make something of the scenario. "Do as your  _mother_ says, Elsa. She knows best." The older lady said sarcastically and pushed just the right buttons on both women.

"Excuse me?" The mayor glowered, but it was Elsa who was most offended now; she pulled her hand to release it from Regina's grip and looked at both ladies with anger, eyes flickering silver with ire. "No one gets to dictate my life anymore. Not Regina, and  _definitely_  not you, Granny." Elsa glared at her boss. "Don't you _ever_  bring up my mother again," the blonde was furious and Regina could sense powerful magic start swirling around her partner like electricity. "Elsa…" She reached for her arm cautiously but the blonde was too angry to allow any contact. "Don't touch me!" Elsa groaned when the mayor came close.

Ice crystals emerged from the floor in a circle around the Ice Queen and forced both Granny and Regina to take a few steps back to avoid getting cut by the dangerous stalagmites. The remaining clients and workers started fearing for their lives, but couldn't move because of how stunned they were to find out their _dear_  Elsa, the Star Waitress, had these abominated powers.

"She's a monster! Just like the Evil Queen," they heard someone say in the far back –  _Marian_  – as she embraced Roland, and Robin tried to make his body a human shield just in case those crystals were sent shooting.

Elsa bit her bottom lip at hearing her old moniker.  _Monster._  She felt her eyes sting, looked around her and the fear she'd inflicted on every soul that had just come with the wish to eat in peace after a long week of work. "Elsa, don't listen to them." Regina tried to reach her again but Elsa didn't want to see her this moment. "This is your fault…" the blonde mumbled feebly, braced herself and disappeared in a cloud of snowflakes. "Elsa!" Regina yelled behind her but her partner was gone.

"What's going on here?" David asked when he came inside and noticed the big circle of frozen stalagmites, Regina standing close, and everyone's face of shock. "Nothing that concerns the _Charmings_." Regina grumbled and made herself scarce in a cloud of purple smoke. "Show's over. Everyone, back to your duties!" Granny ordered to her cookers and waitresses.

Clients began to relax and continued eating their meals in peace.  _It could have been worse,_ was the general feeling. This town had witnessed too much shit to let this outburst make them loose appetite. "Just another day in the Enchanting Storybrooke." David mumbled, walked around the ice peaks and went to sit by the bar to order some take-out.

* * *

"Elsa! Elsa!" Regina called as she walked in the Great Hall of the Crystal Palace, but there was no answer. She felt weakened after having used magic and her brow furrowed when she looked at the long staircase that lead to the Queen's bedchambers.  _No other way._  She had to climb the stairs as her powers had been greatly diminished.

Meanwhile, Elsa was in the Pawnbroker's shop; she knew Belle would be at the library with Henry and used the opportunity to look for anything that could help her build herself a better future. She didn't want people believing her a monster and the only way she thought could achieve her this, was to create some sort of potion that allowed her to make them forget the episode at Granny's, like the one that made a whole kingdom forget about her in Arendelle.

She had been practicing magic; studied the book Regina confiscated from Henry, and others she got from Belle while looking for a way to contact her sister. So far she'd managed to see Anna's reflection in the mirror, but she really wanted to speak with her and have her remember before it was too late. Her sister was an old woman now and her health continued declining.

Elsa continued looking in armoires, drawers, and boxes, until she came across something that looked oddly familiar in the back of the shop: a wooden chest with fractal figures that reminded her of Arendelle, and froze the lock to break it open. She found a medium size wooden reindeer inside; a smaller treasure chest; a small blue glass container, and… her crown. She took the potion in her hands and felt perturbed when it began glowing silver. She then studied the perfectly carved reindeer figure and found its similarity with Sven highly unsettling. "This cannot be…" Elsa mumbled and went to retrieve the small treasure chest; she opened it slowly and her pupils widened when they saw the glowing crystalized heart contained inside.

"Elsa?" Belle's voice startled her. "What are you doing here?" The librarian asked her, slowly walking in her direction. "It should be me asking you questions." Elsa muttered while putting the small box back and hiding the potion behind her, carefully slipping it inside her sleeve. "About what?" Belle looked down and noticed the open chest. "You found it," she mumbled. "Yes, I did. Why have you kept this from me? Was I was wrong to trust you?" The blonde questioned as she folded her arms over her chest to dissimulate the bump on her sleeve caused by the hidden potion.

"I was going to give that to you," Belle said with honesty but couldn't help feeling guilty. "When? When I froze Storybrooke all over again?" Elsa groaned. "When the time came, Elsa. I was ab—" Belle tried answering. "You're no better than Rumplestiltskin." Elsa interrupted. "You weren't stable," Belle came closer. "And I know you have the potion, but it isn't going to help, only make things more difficult." The auburn-haired extended a hand to Elsa. "This is mine; all of it. I'm not giving it back." Elsa waved a hand over the chest of relics and made it disappear with the contents. "It is, but don't do something rash," Belle sighed deeply. "Magic always comes with a price, you know that."

"The glowing object…" Elsa spoke more calmly now. "Was that?" She looked into lighter blue eyes with doubt. "Krystal's. That's… her heart," answered Belle with a saddened voice. "He melted her?!" Elsa cried out, her magic manifesting in snowflakes that floated all around her. "No." Belle reached to her and touched her shoulder gently.

Belle guided her to one of the chairs in front of her desk and sat beside her, and explained the enchantment on Krystal began to wear off the day her urn disappeared from the vault. There was nothing they could do to stop her from melting and only her heart was left behind, protected by the power of True Love and a spell Rumplestiltskin was able to create before it also started to melt away.

"Her soul is still trapped there. She can have no peace…" said Elsa as she got up from her seat. "Giving her rest is the least I can do… It might help me find some peace as well." She said to her adopted sister. "Elsa, the glow you see is the spell, nothing more." Belle said with mixed pity and empathy. "You don't know that." Elsa protested. "And it is my responsibility now to care for these relics — my friends. For their memory." The Queen of Arendelle said firmly. Belle looked into Elsa's eyes and nodded, and the blonde then disappeared in a mist of magic.

Elsa appeared in the forest, she looked for a clearing where to build a small altar and summoned the chest of relics to sort them on the surface.

Regina continued looking for her, but no longer inside the empty palace, going together with Olaf in search of her. She had to tell the savvy snowman they were playing hide and seek again — not to raise his suspicions — or he would refuse helping, and both went hiking down the mountain carefully. He wasn't  _all_ that trusting of the brunette because of something he heard her telling Elsa once; one day he had a little  _extra_ fun gliding down the staircase to see if he could be faster than the little snowing cloud hovering above him.

Elsa retrieved Sven from the chest carefully, kissed the figure and put it on the altar. She then took out her crown to lay it on the side and took a deep breath before opening the small box containing Krystal's heart. But when she cradled the heart in her hands and watched it glow again; she remembered the purpose of her capture by the Evil Wizard. _"Cast the Dark Curse,"_  she heard the echo of his voice inside her head and realized she had everything she needed with her – minus the scroll.  _"A scroll is just a scroll,"_ what mattered was the  _power of word_  and Elsa could remember most of what she'd read in the spell he wanted her to enact. She had knowledge of magic now and could fill the blanks to design her own curse; her purpose widely different from his, but she shared the drive to enact it this time.

Elsa summoned a papyrus, an iridescent quill pen, and a small knife made of sharp ice. She cut her hand and allowed some blood to fill a glassy inkwell, and dipped the tip of her pen in the crimson dye. She began writing down the spell in the ancient language of Arendelle, long forgotten by the folk, but which passed from each King to his firstborn to keep the tongue alive in the royal linage. She materialized a crystal bowl atop the altar; cut her long braid to toss it inside; poured the remaining blood from the inkwell, and started reading the hex aloud.

_By the power of my word, of the ancient and the new, here; sealed with blood – Blue of Arendelle – I cast this curse, to bring me back where I belong; together with my kin. No longer a Monster but a Queen shall I return to reign over my kingdom. This curse will last until my last breath; no power but my own can break it._

Regina could sense strong magic nearby and moved faster when wind began blowing with more vigor. She nearly tripped a few times but Olaf was there to prevent her from falling, and they finally made it to where Elsa was about to throw the glowing heart inside the boiling brew of magic. "Elsa! What are you doing?" The brunette fought against the headwinds making her advance with difficulty. "Writing my own destiny. Stand back." Elsa answered as her hand began to squeeze on the crystal heart.

"You're making a mistake. The Dark Curse  _will_ be broken," said Regina as she continued getting closer. "People will remember and hate you, like they did me." The mayor warned her. "This isn't the  _Dark Curse_. It's my own and I won't bring anyone with me that doesn't want to go back home; to  _our_  world." Elsa said firmly as the object in her hand lost glow and slowly turned to powder and then smoke when it fell inside the bubbling bowl. "Bring back home?" Regina needed a moment to process; she had thought Elsa would be giving them new lives here in Storybrooke, not taking them back to the fairy tale world.

The Queen of Arendelle then took the crown and put it on her head, and a bright light began to shine and open the portal to their original realm. Regina summoned magic from  _only God knows where_  and transported her and Elsa to the clock tower before smoke and light would swallow them — to find Henry and alert the town of the new curse washing over. _This never got old._

Silver light and blue fume gushed from the crystal bowl and it began to spread all through the forest. Robin and his merry crew were the first to be engulfed by the luminous fog and were transported to the Enchanted Forest – their memories intact, save for the knowledge of the reason why they were back. In their hearts, they longed to return to their own land and knew Elsa had brought them with her magic. How could they call her a monster, when she had granted them their wish to come back home? The same would happen to others.

Regina called Sydney and he got her connected to the local radio station for the breaking news. With the wind blowing aggressively, everyone paid attention to media and listened as the Mayor explained there was a new curse sweeping over, but which would only affect those who wanted to return to the fairy tale world and there would be no implanted memories.

"That doesn't sound like a curse to me." Aurora commented to Phillip and they went outside to wait for the smoke to take them back to the Summer Lands, their own realm. More people did the same and Storybrooke began to decrease in population; the fairies even flew toward the source of smoke when they sensed it wasn't loaded with black magic. An opportunity such as this was not to be wasted, since opening a portal without magic beans was nearly impossible; no one dared pay the price of magic: ripping out the heart of the thing you loved most.  _Kudos_  and  _what the hell_  for Elsa, but they weren't letting this chance pass.

Regina had mixed feelings; she didn't want to leave Storybrooke, but she also didn't want to lose Elsa.  _What if Henry had to stay because he was born in this world?_ The same applied to baby Neal and the Charmings didn't want to go back either because of that same fear. Emma hated the Enchanted Forest and it was a given she would be staying, so the White family would surely be spending their last days in Storybrooke.

"Regina…" Elsa took her hand and kissed it. "I love you and I would never make you do something you don't want to." The blonde said kindly and it made Regina regret her actions in the diner. "Losing you will be my price to pay." The Queen of Arendelle told her. "You have a life here, but it isn't a life for me. I miss my family and, though I wish you could join me in this journey; I won't stop because I still have a sister I abandoned and a kingdom that is rightfully mine to reign."

The smoke moved closer and closer, filling the streets of Storybrooke, and Regina felt the same sorrow she experienced when she had to leave Emma and Henry.

"You're abandoning your own blood by casting this curse," said Regina as her hand made Elsa's come to her stomach, and the Queen of Arendelle turned pale. She had acted on impulse and completely forgot about that tiny life growing inside her girlfriend. It had been just a couple of days since she learned of its existence and it made her conflicted because, while she may have been excited about this little person forming inside there, she didn't yet love her like she loved her sister; the girl with whom she grew up, missed profoundly and left to a dark fate.

"You can still stop this, Elsa. Tear the scroll apart and it will be over." Regina told her.

Elsa looked around her and then back to Regina's tearful eyes. "Take this." Elsa gave her the potion she had hidden in her sleeve. "What for? What is it?" The mayor asked with confusion. "It will erase my existence in this realm and the impact of my magic," Elsa revealed for Regina. "I would have never come here; we were never together," the blonde said with sorrow. "And this child would have never been created…" Regina mumbled and Elsa nodded feebly, both women feeling miserable but neither would cede. Queens seemed to be the most stubborn creatures in all the realms.

"Please stay." Regina threw her arms around the blonde to embrace her. "But I can't... I don't want to, Regina. The curse will me take back home." Elsa told her with sadness and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I need to leave and  _live_ , not just survive in this world that is not mine — no matter how hard I try to make myself fit. I could never please everyone; it's time I do what I should've done long ago."

Emma, Henry and the Charmings watched with sadness as the woman they had come to forgive and love as family had her heart broken once more.

"So you choose Anna over us." Regina gritted her teeth. "I'm going back to where I felt home, and - yes - that was Anna. She's dying and I won't let her go without seeing her a last time. I love you, I really do, it's just... all you do is control me and I've had enough of that my whole life." Elsa took a deep breath to avoid breaking into crying.

" _I_   _don't_ … today was a misunderstanding triggered by hormones." The brunette defended herself. "Love… you have been choosing my clothing ever since the day we met, you kept suggesting to melt Olaf because he kept littering my palace with his snowflakes, you tried convincing me to work with you in the Town Hall because  _maid_  and  _politician_  was too cliché even for a porn film. Today was just last the drop that spilled the water." Elsa sighed deeply.

"The curse is here!" Grumpy passed screaming to alert everyone, running for dear life because he feared he might get sucked into the world with magic but no electricity or plumbing.

"So you've made your choice." Regina grumbled. "As have you." Elsa offered a half-hearted smile. She took Regina's hands and placed something in them to go with the potion she had given her a moment ago. "If you decide not to forget, please give this to her and I _will_ find a way to be together," said the Queen of Arendelle. She moved in search of Regina's lips, but kissed her cheek instead when the brunette evaded her attempt.

"I have to do this, I'm sorry." Elsa told her with grief.

The thick fog washed over them and all they could see was a blur of blue, silver, and feel the cold wind blow between them.


	23. Chapter 23

The wind stopped blowing and everyone slowly opened their eyes to see the damage, see where they'd ended, and realized Storybrooke was intact and they were together. Henry was in Emma's arms, Neal between Snow and Charming in their protective embrace. But Regina was by her own, gazing off into nothingness.

"Hey… Are you alright?" Emma slowly came to ask the Mayor.

"I'm fine," Regina answered tiredly. "But we need to call for a meeting in the Town Hall, to see who stayed and who didn't," the Mayor ordered and began walking in direction of the building.

"Okay," the Sheriff nodded her head and said she would go to the station, take the official car and patrol the streets to tell everyone out there to go to the town hall. David joinned her and took the speaker to announce the meeting while Emma was driving.

"Mom! Wait!" Henry caught up with Regina and slipped his hand in hers. "Let's walk together." He smiled and rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb gently; Regina smiled back and had to wipe some tears away.  _She still had her son._  A son she raised on her own; she could raise this new one without Elsa.

Mary Margaret caught up with them, baby now in the stroller, and turned to say something to her former nemesis.

"Family  _always_  finds one another, Regina." The pixie-haired told her kindly.

"Which is why she left. You don't need to remind me," said the older woman with bitterness.

"You're her family, too. She will find a way to be together," Snow insisted with optimism. "Have hope."

"She left me for a sister that doesn't even remember her." Regina grumbled and Henry squeezed her hand.

"It's my fault you couldn't go with her… all because of me." Henry looked downcast. "I'm sorry I can't go to the Enchanted Forest."

"It's not your fault, Henry." Regina pulled him into her arms. "And I will always choose you. You're the only family I've known and needed." She kissed him on his cheek and Mary Margaret came to put a hand on her shoulder gently.

"Once upon a time ago, two mothers had to say good-bye to their children – all because of a curse. There was no chance they would ever see them again and yet, here they are together once more…" the green-eyed woman said kindly. "Regina, she will find a way back to you. But she needs to recover her sister first, before she loses her forever. She might not even have a second chance with her, but she does with you… just give her time."

Regina sighed deeply and Henry embraced her tightly, they shared a moment of silence and then continued walking to the Town Hall. Sidney Glass was already there with cameras to report live from the entrance to the building and the Mayor asked all denizens to come so they could make a list of the missing and found people.

After a couple of hours, they began to fill a list with the people that came; a little bit more than half of the population.

The dwarves were down to three: Grumpy, Doc and Sneezy. Fairies down to two: Nova, whom finally decided to leave her wings behind and start a new life with Dreamy (Grumpy), and Tinker Bell, who felt she still owed Regina happiness. No merry men were seen. Granny and Ruby were still there, and the old lady admitted that even if the Mayor was someone she would never vote for, she had to accept Regina had done a good job in the creation of this town. Hook was also never found, and neither were the Lost Boys or Smee. And quite surprisingly, Abigail and Frederick were found amongst the crowd; it turned out they preferred the relaxed life in Storybrooke, free of royal titles and expectations.

Regina was also surprised to find Dr. Whale still amongst them. He could whine all he wanted, but he had to publicly admit this world gave him more tools for his research and growing in knowledge. He lowered his head in defeat and Regina allowed a smug smirk to appear in her semblance.  _Oh sweet victory, asshole._

The meeting was dismissed after they had the full list of residents. Everyone could go back to their lives, memories nearly intact, except for the knowledge of Elsa's royal background and her possession magic. This curse made sure everyone exposed to the fume knew who she was and what she was after: recovering her rightful throne and her sister.

Hans had erased her from history with magic and now magic would put her back in the book with records of her royal linage. But coming to recognize and remember her in Arendelle would be more tricky, as Elsa's curse could only affect the Enchanted Forest; the land where it had been enacted.

* * *

Back in the fairy tale land, Elsa found herself surrounded by many of the people she met in Regina's modern world. She could recognize a good part of them, but others were completely foreign. Storybrooke may have been small but it could surprise you that not all the people that inhabited the town knew each other.

"Majesty, I wish to express my gratitude for bringing me and my family back to our land," said Robin Hood as he came to kneel in reverence before her. Marian and Roland then came to join his side and knelt before Elsa.

"I'm sorry for having called you a…" The brunette tried to apologize but was interrupted.

"A monster." Elsa completed for her.

"I… I'm very ashamed of having done that." Marian apologized again.

Elsa inhaled deeply, closed her eyes for a moment and opened them again once the anger faded. "It doesn't matter now. And if you hadn't said it, I wouldn't have brought us here. In a way, I guess I needed to hear it." Elsa said neutrally and looked at all the people around her, most of them now bowing down to the Queen of Arendelle, except for Aurora, who was coming to talk to her. And neither Hook with the Lost Boys and Smee, who were parting to live their lives as the pirates they were.

"Queen Elsa, I wish to thank you just the same," Aurora said to her. "Please know that the Summer Lands will always welcome you in our realm. Should you need any help, come to us and you will find it there," the Princess told her. Elsa made a light curtsey and thanked her for her offer, and told her she would do the same if they ever came to Arendelle. For the moment it was just a promise, but the Ice Queen was sure she would soon have a kingdom where to welcome her new friends and potential trade partners.

There were over a hundred more persons and all paid their gratitude to the new Queen they owed their loyalty, since the White Kingdom now had only her. There was no Snow, no Charming, and Regina didn't come either, but Elsa having been her partner was the closest thing to the royal family. That and the fact no one dared deceiving a Queen with magic; they'd learned that the hard way, but Elsa didn't inspire them fear… she inspired respect and just  _smart cautiousness._

She was somewhat overwhelmed to have so many people stand behind her, but what impressed her most was to find Belle amongst her new subjects. King Maurice and his Queen had their own kingdom to return to and the Princess came to tell Elsa they would be going to Rumplestiltskin's castle before arranging their own journey. If she needed anything before parting to Arendelle, she should feel free to come by the Dark Palace and ask for anything she required for a safe trip.

Belle then handed her a small book, one that had passed through Cora's hands, Regina's and even Zelena's, so she could summon her presence if an emergency arose. She told her the gemstone on the cover allowed her to hear the call and know where to find the user.

"Arendelle is two days from here, your Majesty. Please allow us to escort you to the White Palace, so you can have some rest," a knight offered. He guided the regent Queen to the Palace by the mountain, the one Zelena had taken in their absence, and which had been abandoned all over again when Snow was forced to cast the curse.

Aurora and Philip joined her, as the Summer Lands were even farther away and they needed to send a bird with a message to Phillips' father, so he could send a carriage and guards to retrieve them. The princess was with child and couldn't make the dangerous trip by foot, and neither on a horse — which they didn't  _even_  have available at this moment.

A multitude followed behind the royals and after a couple of hours, they finally made it to the realm. People went back to their old cottages and started bringing the small kingdom back to life with the smoke coming from their chimneys. The sun was setting and it was getting colder, which was a little strange since it was still summer.

"White you said?" Elsa mumbled when she saw the eerie castle and her knight heard her. "White as is the family's name... but this was the Ev- Queen Regina's designed citadel." He told her and got worried Elsa might reprimand him for almost calling her  _wife?_  by the old moniker. But Elsa just clenched her jaw and thanked him for the information, stepped inside the fortress and looked around her.

The palace was dusty; spiders and mice roamed the hallways after months of abandonment, but some of the people amongst them had been part of the maids and guards of the royal family in the last time they were here and quickly began to tidy the chambers. Candles were lit to illuminate the castle and Elsa couldn't avoid feeling loneliness hit her when she was introduced to Regina's bedchambers.

Everything reflected the side of Regina she had never met. From the zebra rug beneath the ample bed to the mirror with twisted wrought iron near the balcony. It was a somber place that spoke of the Evil Queen; cold and lonely. Not even the hearth felt warm there, it was so different from the bedroom they'd shared in the mansion.

_No wonder why Regina didn't want to come back. Back to what? A world of memories from a life of sorrow, cruelty and solitude._

She went to sit on bed and brought one of the black velvet pillows to her face to smell it, wishing she could pick up on her scent. "Regina." Elsa mumbled embracing the pillow and silent tears fell, but two knocks on the door made her clean her eyes and regain the composure.

"Supper is ready, my Queen," a servant said behind the door and Elsa told him she would be there in a moment.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Storybrooke.

Regina was pensive. She was having supper with Henry and the Charmings in their apartment because they insisted on it; they didn't want to leave her too much time alone in her condition.

Emma had told them about the pregnancy and it still cost them some effort to believe it, but Snow could very well distinguish the signs of being with child, and it actually made her happy for Regina. She had always wondered why her stepmother never granted her a sibling, imagined it was perhaps her father's advanced age what prevented it, but some topics were better left untouched and she never dared asking.

As she came to think of it this moment, Snow finally saw the gravity of Regina's forced union to her father.  _She could have been her sister._  She was definitely not near the age to be her mother and understood why Emma disrespected the memory of Leopold the day they had their quarrel. It showed how blinded she had been by her devotion to her father; he might have been the best parent and a benevolent King, but she really had no idea what Regina had to endure with him as his wife at her early age. _She had been even younger than her when marrying Charming._

The pixie-haired woman took her tea and almost downed it all from one gulp.

Emma and baby Neal were the products of her True Love with David, but she, Snow, was no true love product… It felt like a bucket of cold water fell on her. She was no one to judge others for the way they lived their lives, and this child created by Regina and Elsa was already starting to break the misconceptions she had of True Love and relationships. All in good time because she would learn about Emma and Ruby — her  _past_  best friend and possible _future_  in-law — sooner or later.

After finishing her meal, Regina got ready to leave but, as she hadn't brought her car, Emma insisted on giving her a ride home and letting Henry stay with her instead. But Regina refused, said she'd much rather prefer walking and wished being alone this night to think. She needed to clear her mind and didn't want Henry to see her emotional state, and Emma had no choice but to understand and stop insisting.  _Regina would always do what she wanted in the end, anyway._

Once in the mansion, she went to her bedroom and put the potion on the dresser, and then retrieved from her pocket the other item Elsa gave her before leaving. It was a long chain necklace with a delicate pendant in the shape of a snowflake; she looked at the center and focused, and then Elsa's voice came from it.

"I will find you, my little snowflake," spoke the enchanted locket and Regina bit her trembling lip from the feelings it stirred inside her.

She couldn't do this alone. It was too much pain to bear not knowing if she would really see Elsa again. Regina didn't want to give her child false hope and she had had enough suffering already to continue suffering more. She took the potion in her hands and studied the bottle, contemplating the idea of putting an end to her sorrow.

Elsa was in a similar situation after having shared the table with only Phillip and Aurora, two total strangers, who had been polite  _out of custom_  and she couldn't feel remotely fond of them — or anyone this moment.

The Queen of Arendelle was back in her provisional bedchambers  _— Regina's —_  feeling lonely and went to the mirror close to the balcony.

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall… Show me whom I miss most of all," she said in front of the reflection, expecting to see Anna, but it was Regina whom it showed her this time. It made sense, she was closer to her sister now but farther from her lover, and her heart almost froze when she saw the brunette bring the potion close to her lips.

"No…" Elsa touched the reflection in the mirror, as if by doing so she could prevent the inevitable. She had given the potion in hope it would never be made use of, she trusted Regina would give her a chance to find a way to be together after reuniting with Anna…  _maybe she was wrong._

Regina stopped for a moment, took a deep breath and closed her eyes, but abruptly turned around and threw the bottle in the air, making it crash against the wall behind her. "Fuck you, Elsa. I won't forget you. But I won't forgive you either," she said angrily, took the charmed necklace and tossed it inside a drawer to keep it out of her sight for the time being.

Elsa's heart had gone wild inside her ribcage, but she breathed out a sigh of relief when Regina destroyed the potion, and felt her soul return to her body. She relaxed again and the mirror went back to showing only her reflection. "I made you a promise…" the now short-haired blonde murmured. "I will find you and never leave again."

The following day felt lifeless for Regina, not even having Henry come in the morning made her fully cheer up. She didn't regret her decision to stay, though, but damn did it hurt to sleep alone and not wake up to Elsa's tiptoeing in the morning. She also missed feeling that warm hand on her belly during sleep, and the kiss that would always find her bare shoulder before closing her eyes to call it a day. All those silly details that seemed insignificant at the time, but for which Regina would trade her soul to feel this moment... Even hearing Elsa call her  _sugarplum_  would be a dream come true right now, or any of those ridiculously sweet endearments she kept coming up with for Regina's displeasure.

The Mayor decided to visit the office, thought maybe work would help her get distracted, and she still had that project to modernize Storybrooke waiting in the "to do list." She brought Henry with her and had him help with the list of contacts that had already responded to arrange for the transactions, and those who had yet to confirm the shipment.

Storybrooke was still off-radar and Regina would have Leroy and others pick-up the equipment from an abandoned old factory she bought in Waterville, Maine, to create a fake company to use for everything they might need importing to the fairy tale town. It was really a blessing the limit of Storybrooke was safe to be crossed now, but they still kept the town under a magical cloak to avoid unexpected visitors. The last thing she needed was another Greg & Tamara to come torture her.

Working helped her get momentarily distracted, but she would only be fooling herself if she believed it would help her cope in the long run. Henry was bored after spending all Sunday locked in the office with his mother and asked if he could go to the library, but seeing as Belle had been noticed for her absence, Regina denied his request but surprised him with the spells book she and Emma had confiscated.

 _Apprentice of Sorcery, Vol. I by Myrddin Emrys._  Henry's face lit up when he saw the cover of his dearly missed book of magic. "Thank you mom!" He went forward and hugged Regina. He was very happy to have his book back and they decided to spend the rest of the afternoon studying the first and lengthiest chapter:  _The Price of Magic._

* * *

In Arendelle

Elsa studied some of the spells she found in the book she received from the  _Dark One_. There were powerful protection conjurations, as well as deadly hexes she hoped she would never need to turn to. But after everything she'd been subject to, recurring to the dark arts didn't seem  _too wrong,_  if her only purpose was recovering what was rightfully hers and protecting her life and what may be left of her sister's.

 _Would the end justify the means?_  Elsa stopped to think for a moment when she realized she had turned Krystal's heart to ashes in casting the curse.  _What if there had still been a chance to bring her back?_  She would now truly never know. Her only justification was holding on to Belle's words telling her that the glow in that heart was nothing but the spell sustaining it.

Elsa needed to go back to Arendelle and learn what had been of her sister during her  _forced_  abandonment, but she couldn't just storm in and demand answers. Regina had told her she never heard of a King named Hans of Arendelle and that Anna had married a descendent of the Aesir, even had child, but what didn't make sense was the fact her sister and whole realm remained under the effect of Hans' curse cast upon them.

 _"_ Couldn't True Love break any curse and even transcend realms?" Elsa asked Belle after summoning her. She had read so in every book, such was the magnitude of the strength of love. _It could only mean Anna hadn't been rescued by her True Love._

"The most powerful magic of all, but not without a catch," Belle told her. It only worked if innocence was present; the moment there was a space for doubt or regret, darkness could step in and counteract light magic.

Belle spoke of her experience with Rumplestiltskin, when she gave him True Love's kiss but he was able to stop his curse from breaking. She also shared it was why she remained the Dark One, because she'd found a good use to these powers now and didn't allow love to break the curse laying now on her. She loved Gaston, they had shared a kiss recently, but she did as Rumplestiltskin and guarded her heart from giving herself completely. _Maybe Elsa was right and she wasn't all that different from him._

Speaking about love made Elsa look down, and Belle knew her very well by now to understand what was going on inside her. She could read in her semblance just how much she missed Regina and didn't even need to ask something that was so obvious.

"There's something I want you to have," said Belle.

Elsa looked back into light blue eyes with curiosity but her friend asked her to turn around for a moment, and put a necklace on her. It was just as the one Elsa had given Regina, which she found inside the same chest where her relics had been stored but could now feel it was loaded with magic. Back in Storybrooke, she didn't notice because of the stronger magic coming from Krystal's heart.

"What is it?" Elsa asked bewildered, somehow  _feeling_  this curious present had been planned ahead.

"It's a lover's bind," answered Belle and told her if she put something of Regina's, say a hair, in the locket they could be together in spirit.

"I don't understand," Elsa blinked in confusion.

"If you both wear them at the same time, you can be connected and might even transcend realms – if your love is true, and magic powerful enough," Belle answered.

Belle told her one of her powers inherited from Rumplestiltskin was foresight, and knew she would cast the curse and be separated from Regina. But what she didn't tell Elsa was that this journey would make her vengeful and without the presence of love by her side, she might turn into a real monster; her reason to create the charms in hope their love could transcend realms and create a portal of its own, or just apease the beast sleeping inside the Queen of Arendelle. Her rage.

Regina's necklace contained one of Elsa's hairs Belle found in the crown, and she knew Elsa could easily find one of Regina's in the cloaks the Evil Queen used to wear, or in a brush in her dresser. The only tricky part would be getting Regina to wear it in Storybrooke.

Belle left her and Elsa desperately went in search of the hair, and could find as Belle said one in a brush inside Regina's bedroom dresser. She quickly put it in the center of the snowflake and watched as the hair turned to purple magic, swirled in a spiral and got absorbed by the enchanted pendant. The snowflake glowed momentarily and then went back to normal; it was up to fate now to bring Regina to wear it.

The regent Queen of the Enchanted Forest organized a group of people to dress as gypsies and go to Arendelle to gather information. She wanted them to find everything they could about the King, and also to buy some animals and seeds to bring to the Enchanted Forest and start farming. She was responsible for this kingdom now and couldn't just abandon them to their luck. They were fortunate not all of the crown's treasure had been taken to Storybrooke to supply for the modern world and she could use it to invest in her new kingdom... Regina's.

They spent the following weeks missing each other, Elsa wouldn't remove her necklace but Regina wasn't aware of the special link this charm presented. The magic she sensed in the locket was for her just the spell containing Elsa's promise.

During the first week, a caravan returned with grains and fresh produce they needed to feed the realm, and some grown plants they could still transplant to get their fruit in autumn and preserve it for winter. So far they were relying on the dried and salted supplies that had been kept in sealed jars and basins in case of a magical or natural disaster.

On the third week returned a small group of shepherds with animal stock for their farms, and in between the trips they gave Elsa insight from Arendelle. It was true the realm was wealthy and beautiful, but sentiments in the town folk were not very positive for the King and the heir.

There were rumors the prince wasn't the King's son but it was very hard to get people to talk about it, as they believed there were ears everywhere listening, eyes watching, and they couldn't trust birds to carry their messages to the rightful Queen of Arendelle.

Elsa became more worried about her realm and her sister, but felt relieved to know Anna was still alive and wasn't sick, just advanced in age but still had a bright smile to share, even when her eyes looked dim and sad in the mirror whenever Elsa used magic to see her reflection. Her desolate expression was the reason why she wanted to return so badly.

* * *

On her first month as Regina's partner  _and_  apprentice, Elsa had learned to work magic on mirrors to show her what she wanted to see, and her impressive powers, like Emma's, were able to cross dimensions.

She saw Anna lying on bed with her eyes closed and thought she was dead. Her skin was no longer the peachy tone it was and it had some wrinkles in the eyes, mouth, and her hands had dark spots that denoted age. It was hard to see her sister like that, but it made her happy to see her chest rise and fall again breathing slowly.

Elsa would turn to the mirror every day after learning how to use it, but her need for embracing her sister — even once — became more and more unbearable. Anna seemed sad whenever no one was looking and Elsa could feel there was something important happening. There were times during her naps that Anna would mumble in her sleep and say something that made tears trickle down, but Elsa couldn't hear it. All she could attempt to do was reading her lips as they moved and she could swear it was her very name what Anna whispered in between dreams.

Regina had suspected Elsa was constantly watching over her sister through this window to Arendelle, but never did it occur to her that it would make Elsa attend to her sister's whisper and leave her. The call of blood was strong but they were in different dimensions and it was impossible without a portal. The mayor didn't know Krystal's heart was in Storybrooke to make it happen.

* * *

Time continue to move forward without anything they could do about it and Regina had not, even once, looked at the necklace she received from Elsa. It was still inside a drawer waiting for her and Elsa's despair kept growing because she couldn't yet be with Anna, and neither could she go to Regina. All she had was her hands full with a new realm depending on her and another kingdom she wished to recovered, but for which she had to be more prepared to avoid falling in a trap like in the past. _Acting out of impulsive didn't pay well._

But life had to go on and Regina was now in her fifth month, much more calm as the nausea and tenderness of her body subdued. The second trimester was the easiest but it was also coming to pass and the third would be more difficult than the first. She wished by then Elsa would be back, but she didn't want to fuel her hope.

Regina started feeling her baby's movements and it made her cry the first time, wishing so much Elsa were there to feel it. Their baby was very healthy and had given her no trouble thus far; it was Henry the one giving the headaches with his bad grades in school, but thorough knowledge of magic.

Her son had  _devoured_  by now three tomes of the Apprentice of Sorcery Encyclopedia and was able to lit candles, summon a fireball, and cast protection spells for a small area. She was both proud and conflicted because Henry had the potential to become a great wizard in their land, but that wouldn't be of use in the world without magic, as he would eventually grow up and need a profession he could use in society.

Emma had been as supportive as Regina had allowed her to be, which wasn't really much but she kept an eye out for anything that might surface. Visits to the hospital were in Emma's agenda and she would drive the mayor and their son to go together, of course with the Sheriff waiting outside until they were done with the appointment.

Seeing his sister's development with his mother, made Henry consider becoming a doctor to help others without the need of magic.  _If he happened to have both tools_ , it would just make him an even better practitioner — much needed in Storybrooke…  _or the Enchanted Forest if he managed to create a new method for portal opening._

It was really no big deal for the blonde to do this for Regina, seeing as how much she'd wished she had someone support her through her pregnancy with Henry. But some things just had to be accepted and be dealt with, and Regina had to deal with this pregnancy on her own (for the most part).

Somehow, she was living something similar to Emma and it made Regina's grudge on Elsa lessen. Emma's circumstances had been  _far worse_  and even if the mayor wanted to hate her partner for leaving, she couldn't condemn her for wanting to spend some time with her dying sister.

When Regina went back home that afternoon, she came to the dresser and opened the drawer she had avoided touching for the last nine weeks. She pulled out the necklace and held it in front of her; her gaze geting lost in the pendant, but a movement in her belly made her come back to the present. She had been remembering that bitter day when Elsa left them.

"I miss her too, my little snowflake," she said to her baby as her free hand came to rub her tummy. She went to put the necklace away but felt another movement in her stomach and it made her curious if her child was trying to tell her something.

"Do you want me to try it?" She asked and her belly glowed for the first time since Elsa's departure. Regina was really stunned by the answer, slowly put the charm around her neck and her world quickly began spinning, and barely made it to bed before fainting.

Elsa had been riding her horse when dizziness made her stop, but before she was able to speak a word, she fell from the steed and landed unconscious on the mud.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be grim. It took me about two months - believe it or not - to come up with Arendelle's story.

Regina found herself in a strange garden; flowers, trees and butterflies surrounded her and she thought she might have died or was dreaming. It was a beautiful landscape but it was odd how she couldn't really smell the scent of the blossoms, or feel the warmth of the bright sun above her. Colors were vivid, the birds lively, but she couldn't really feel the wind blowing that was making the leaves on the trees move gently.

She heard noise behind her and when she turned around, she was sure she was dreaming.

"Elsa?" The brunette mumbled and her heart began to pound faster, like the flutter of a hummingbird.

"Regina! My love, I was starting to think you'd never wear it." The blonde came running to her side but when she embraced her, Regina pushed her away. Elsa felt her heart break but Regina was in all her right to reject her and the Arendellian kept the distance her partner drew for them.

"Do you mean this necklace?" Regina asked and Elsa explained it was a lover's bind to help them be together.

Regina was furious and reproached why hadn't she told her so, before leaving. Elsa tried to do her best to explain she had not known of its powers until Belle told her, but it wasn't easy because Regina kept interrupting to tell her what an irresponsible impulsive teenage she had behaved like, and how she would never forgive her for having parted like that. Elsa felt really guilty for the way everything happened so fast, but even if Regina kept yelling at her, she was happy she was able to see her again, be close, and only wished with time they could heal the wounds.

"Regina… I do love you, no matter what you may think." Elsa took a step closer but Regina glared.

"That's unfortunate, seeing as how your feelings are one-sided now." The brunette said bitterly.

"You don't mean that…" Elsa took yet one more step toward her and touched Regina's arm gently.

"I'm sorry, Elsa, but I don't love you anymore." Regina looked at the hand on her arm with disgust and turned around to evade those tearful blue eyes. "In fact, I hate you and hope you don't bother coming back," her voice quavered but the brunette managed to let it out.

Elsa felt hurt at hearing her harsh words but Regina's presence here meant the opposite to what her mouth continued claiming and, as Regina looked to the infinite garden, two soft hands slipped from behind to cradle her grown belly, Elsa's chin came to rest on Regina's shoulder, and her body pressed gently against the brunette's back.

"No you don't," Elsa whispered gently behind her ear and Regina wanted to melt into that embrace, but pride wasn't easy to let go off and the brunette cleared her throat. "Don't touch me," she said to Elsa like she had told her in the diner.

"Regina I—" Elsa tried to speak but was cut off.

" _I_ have to go.  _Emma_  is coming  _home_  and I haven't cooked dinner. If you excuse me, I will now remove this necklace and leave." The mayor said dismissively, but made sure to emphasize  _that name_  Elsa feared most hearing in their privacy.

"Emma? So you two… NO. I don't believe it." Elsa released the brunette and moved to her front to face her. "You're not together, are you?" Blue eyes pierced into brown.

"Whoever I am with, stopped being of any concern to  _you_  the moment _you_  decided to leave  _me_  and your  _little snowflake._ " Regina groaned, removed her necklace and vanished from her sight.

"Regina!" Elsa yelled with anger and despair. "Argh!"

The flustered Ice Queen removed her necklace and woke up to find her body laying on a rug, head on a pillow, and Mirabelle's hand with a wet cloth wiping mud off her face. Her handmaiden's face lit up when she saw Elsa open her eyes and hugged her. "You're back!" She exclaimed but quickly remembered this was no proper way to display her  _care_  for the Queen. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" The brunette apologized blushing deeply.

"It's alright, Mira." Elsa smiled gently. "Thank you for worrying for me… What happened?" The Queen asked as she slowly rose from the improvised bed.

"You fainted and fell from the horse. I —  _We_  — were so worried about you. You were gone for about two hours, my Queen."

"I see..." Elsa looked down at her chest and noticed the absence of her necklace, but found it inside her hand turned into a stiff fist, and felt the warmth of her blood start dripping from where pointy edges of the pendant buried into her skin with the pressure she had been putting. "How far are we from Arendelle?" Elsa asked while hiding her hand behind her and rubbing at her throbbing temple with the other.

"We are about six hours from the kingdom. We made camp behind the mountain, where no one can see us. There's nothing else but these mossy rocks with us." The maiden told her and Elsa looked around her, finding this place somewhat familiar but couldn't quite recall why.

"We can't stay here. I have a feeling we're being… observed." Elsa said as she walked to where knights were making a pit with small rocks to start a fire. The night would be falling soon and it was getting colder.

"Sir Reagan." Elsa called behind him and he got startled at hear her voice so suddenly.

"My Queen." He made a vow and knelt. "How may I serve you?"

" _Fire_  produces  _smoke_ … and, do you know what smoke does?" Elsa raised an eyebrow at him.

"It… draws attention. I'm sorry, my Queen. We were just cold and didn't think it could be seen from here." The poor man felt a rush of heat come to his cheeks.

Elsa nodded lightly and asked her knights to move away, she then focused on the center of the pit they had built and remembered a spell from the small book of sorcery. "Ignis," she whispered and a blue-glowing orb of what looked like fire started burning in the center. It emitted heat, created no smoke, but  _could_  burn you if you were to touch it.

"AHHH! Help!" They heard someone scream but couldn't see who had been, until more voices screamed and all the rocks in the pit started running… with feet… and had faces.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry." Elsa shot her icy magic and turned off the blue fire that was burning their mossy heads, and then she remembered.

A long time ago, her parents had brought her and Anna to that place and the eldest troll from the tribe used his magic to change Anna's memories of their childhood, replacing magical games for harmless days outside in the white snow.

 _Trolls._  "Please wait! I need your help." Elsa ran behind the small creatures until she came to stand before the biggest rocks, her knights following behind her.

"Your Majesty, be careful," Reagan said as he drew out his sword when the rocks started turning into  _earth people._

"It's fine, I know them. Please leave us a moment." Elsa ordered but her loyal knight wasn't trustful of those strange creatures only mentioned in folk tales but not really ever seen… until now.

"But, Highness." He looked at Elsa with worry.

"Was  _I_  not clear?  _Leave._ " Elsa was firm and her knights had to go back to their camp against their wish.

* * *

In the mansion, Regina had recovered conscience but came back with a big headache resulting from that strange trip she had to the Lover's Lair. She carefully went downstairs and decided leftovers would do; she had enough food for her and Henry, and no energy to use in cooking. Besides, it was almost time for him to arrive.  _How long had she been with Elsa?_  It only felt like a couple minutes.

Emma arrived to deliver Henry and Ruby waited in the bug for her girlfriend. The werewolf wasn't really comfortable in the mansion and preferred staying outside _, put; like the good puppy she was._

Regina would often make remarks about how well Emma had  _trained_  her because Miss Lucas was no longer _"_ wagging her tail" with half the town, begging for attention. Emma would just frown and tell her she was bitter and taking it on the wrong persons, and that was enough to make Regina stop _ruffling her feathers_  and change topics or dismiss her. It was funny how they would always bicker but remain friends, it was almost like being sisters – that fought most of the time – but who cared for each other. They were certainly not like Anna and Elsa, but family was family.

* * *

In Arendelle

Elsa was with the elders of the tribe of trolls and her knights had no choice but to wait in the camp and keep their senses alert to go in her rescue if they heard her call. But it wasn't necessary, the earth people were peaceful and she needed their help to know more about what had happened in Arendelle. Her last caravan never came back to the Enchanted Forest and that could only mean they had been discovered spying and were being held prisoners, or worse.

The eldest troll, the Shaman, came to Elsa and showed her with his magic what had happened. In the stars, he made a series of figures narrate the event where Prince Hans was betrayed by the Duke of Weselton before the coronation, and the events that followed in their absence.

* * *

_The visions_

After taking a sip from the potion that would allow him to protect his memories, Lord Aurelius (the duke) came from behind Hans, pushed him to fall inside the spring and watched him drown.

The forgetting potion was still mixing with the water, absorbed Hans and made everyone forget about the twelfth prince from the Southern Isles; his marriage to Anna, his role as Grand Master — everything was erased from their memories — just like Elsa's existence after these tainted waters made it to the realm and were used for their drinks.

Aurelius had been waiting for this golden opportunity. He made himself appear the best friend of the greedy prince and benefitted from this partnership of betrayal from the start, but he aimed higher and had a wider vision, unlike Hans. Arendelle could be the first of many realms to fall under his claws. Riches, power, dominion — that was what he wanted. The rise of an empire of many kingdoms under one ruler: him.

The Duke noticed the small container close to where Hans had been standing, picked it up and smelled the contents. He had seen when Hans drank from it and decided to drink the remaining liquid from the bottle, and his memories were protected from forgetting Hans and Elsa. She couldn't ever trust the short man, but she never imagined he could reach so high. Her attention had been set on Hans and didn't realize there was a bigger threat growing under her watch.

A descendant of the Aesir did come. Price Baldur: son of Odin and Frigga, third in line for the throne in Asgard, found shelter in the lands of Arendelle. He came to this realm in an attempt to escape death, a death he saw in visions would befall from the very hand of one of his brothers, but fate brought him to meet the Queen of Arendelle in the forest.

* * *

(Flashback)

The night fell and Baldur and his men made camp in an inconspicuous side of the mountain where the guards of Arendelle wouldn't notice their arrival. He ordered his men to keep watch while he went for a walk to make a mental map of the land that would  _have_  to be their new home.  _But why not have a look at the palace?_ He was a curious one.

Baldur moved with stealth in the shadows and as he was coming close to the kitchen door of the palace, he suddenly noticed movement coming his way and went to hide behind a pile of old barrels. His dark blue eyes only caught sight of a flowing pair of braids with a peculiar white strand of hair interwoven in strawberry blonde. He watched her leave the castle and his mindset took a different turn.  _Who are you?_ He had to follow secretly behind her.

Anna was now almost running through the woods in urgent search of something, or someone, when Baldur tripped after stepping on a puddle and landed with his face on the mud. She became aware of his presence that moment and turned to look at him as he got on his knees and wiped some of the sludge off his face. The mysterious lady offered her hand and when he took it to stand up, he noticed it was just as cold as ice. He got up with her help but when he asked her name, the girl turned around and continued running. Not a word ever left her mouth.  _What was that?_  Baldur asked himself.  _Was she just a vision?_  He wasn't sure she was even real.

The sound of hoofs alerted him and Baldur quickly hid behind a tree. He watched royal knights storm in direction of where the mystery lady had ran to and he followed quietly behind them. He came to a raised part of the mountain from which he could see the people gathering below without getting noticed.

They were close to the edge of the cliff and he could distinguish a broken staircase made of ice or glass next to where the girl finally stopped. He watched as a short but imposing man from the crowd approached the mystery lady on his black steed.  _Who is that?_  Baldur wondered and then took notice of the moonlight shine reflecting from the medals on his chest.  _The King's advisor?_

 _Could she be the princess?_ He was even more curious. But he was alone and far from the camp, it wouldn't be wise to walk up to them on his own, so he watched. A knight came after the short man beckoned, took Elsa by the waist and mounted her on the same horse as the old man. Baldur didn't know what to make of this scene and went back to his camp to get some needed rest. Maybe his visions could give him a better insight of what he needed to know about this mysterious damsel.

As soon as his eyelids closed, images started to bombard him with nightmares.  _But, no, these weren't nightmares._  This was very real and he watched as a different man followed behind a woman through the forest with his men behind him. It was the same route he had seen the mysterious lady travel, but the woman in his visions had a single braid and platinum blonde hair.  _And was that a crown she was wearing?_  He watched as the frightened Queen came to the edge of the cliff and, just when he thought he would see her die without anything he could do to help her, the light haired lady made magic shoot from her hands to create the icy staircase that allowed her to escape the  _royal guard._

He woke up feeling exhausted, as if this woman's race to escape a fatal fate had drained him off his energy. His heart was beating fast and Baldur had to have a moment alone to think about all he had experienced that night in these apparently cursed lands. His men became nervous because he wasn't bearing his usually secure demeanor and there wasn't much of his characteristic cheerfulness transpiring from his pores this moment. It was really unsettling but they decided it was best to wait for their prince to come around.

"No man is to leave the camp unless I say so." Baldur made the first command after joining his men for breakfast. "No one but me shall explore these lands." He was final and his subjects knew better than to question. He was a wise man for his age and had the gift of sight, something none of them had, and they fully trusted in his guidance. That was why Frigga, mother of all, picked this small but devoted crew for her son to take in his journey of survival.

Baldur dressed up as a peasant and entered the kingdom in full light of day to learn more about the rulers. It turned out the girl he followed was the Queen of Arendelle, an orphan with no siblings and a little "touched in the head," as a man told him in a tavern after a few beers. There was no King and not even a suitor, and Baldur couldn't help letting a smile appear in his thin lips. Anna was beautiful, from what little he'd been able to see, but if she was truly mad – that was something he wanted to find out.

He returned to the camp to give his men food he brought from Arendelle, but asked them to stay hidden again. He waited by the broken staircase until night fell and his gut feeling didn't disappoint him. Anna came running again, but she was surprised to see him waiting for her.

"Are you stalking me?" She asked him with anger and pulled out a knife from her boot to warn him she was no damsel in distress. "No, my Queen. I am just curious as to why you keep coming here." Baldur asked her and put his hands up in the air to show he had no intentions to harm her.

"I'm not your Queen." Anna said as she took some steps closer and pressed the blade of her knife to his neck, and her spare hand opened his cloak to reveal the emblem of the Aesir on his tunic. "A prince from Asgard… Where is your troop?" She pressed her blade harder.

"Behind the mountain," Baldur scowled. "What's your problem?" He asked but the sound of horses coming their way made them turn around. They were getting closer but not visible yet, and Anna felt anxious.

"Take me to your camp." She ordered and Baldur was bewildered. "NOW, or I will kill you." She menaced him and he wanted to chuckle at how cute her face had looked while threatening his life so seriously.

"If you ask like that…" He mumbled and then pulled on her cape to remove it, tossed it from the cliff and it got stuck on a branch not far from the staircase to misguide them. "This way, my Lady." He took Anna's hand and started running through the woods before her knights were able to see them.

His own soldiers drew out their swords when they heard people coming, but lowered them down when they saw their Prince in company of a maiden. He asked them to offer their guest their best gin from Asgard and the girl drank it from a gulp, trying to look all bad ass and barely standing the dry bitter flavor and heavy alcohol – it hadn't been mixed.

"So this is–" Baldur tried to introduce the Lady to his crew. "Joan," Anna said before he could continue. "And I'm  _not_  the Queen of Arendelle." The girl shook her head, cheeks turning rosy from the effects of alcohol.

His people looked at him with shock. They knew Baldur liked women he couldn't have, but usually those with no titles and which he would do best not to look at, but a Queen? Would they have to fight the King of Arendelle this time?  _No shit…_

"I think the Asgardian gin was a little bit too much for Lady Joan." Baldur shrugged.

"NO. _Nothing_  is too much for  _*hiccup*_  Joan. Pour me another, stewy-boy!" The tipsy woman hiccupped and tried to grab the bottle, but Baldur glared at the steward re-filling her drink and dragged Anna to his tent before she embarrassed herself further.

"Get some sleep. We will keep guard outside but tomorrow I would like to get some answers." Baldur told her before leaving the tent and joining his men to tell them to double the security.

He went with three of his best men back to where he'd found Anna and hid when they saw some of her royal guards still searching the land. They could hear when one of them said to the others that this had become too tiring and hoped the Queen had fallen or was eaten by wolves, so they could stop chasing her every night and have some peace. That girl was mad and they didn't need her, since they had Lord Aurelius to care for the realm.

The royal guard then went back to the castle after their Grand Master, Lord Aurelius, told them they would come back at dawn. He shared the same feeling and could use this opportunity to get rid of her as well. He was wary of magic, preferred recurring to intelligence, and  _might_ just have the  _trained_  wolves to do his bidding tonight.

When Arendelle was sleeping, Aurelius went to an abandoned farmhouse and made the wolves he had chained in the barn smell Anna's cape. The animals hadn't been fed in days and now had the scent of their prey in their nostrils. He cut the chains with an axe and the wild beasts ran free in search of their promised meal.

Baldur's men were starting to doze off when the howling of wolves in the distance made them alert. Knights began to get ready in case of an ambush and Baldur went to awaken Anna, but she was deep in sleep with the effects of that  _beater_  drink. "Anna, we have to move." Baldur insisted but the Queen opened one eye only to close it again and scratched her head. "Just a sec." More howling was heard, much closer, and everyone had their weapons ready to kill the beasts coming their way. Baldur picked Anna in his arms and carefully moved in the woods to protect her, leaving his troop to distract and fight the pack of wolves.

In their escape, they came to a secluded area in the mountain where hundreds of round mossy stones laid in no special pattern, but which seemed rather unnatural to be found as they were. He looked around him and thought they were safe, put Anna to lay against one of the rocks and tried to think, but the voice of an old man startled him.

"We don't want problems with humans… please take the princess elsewhere." A strange creature said.

"I've nowhere to go. The wolves—" Baldur tried to appeal for his help.

"Are the least of your problems," responded a different man this time. Lord Aurelius came down from his horse and approached.

The shaman troll had turned back to stone before the Duke of Weselton saw him and Prince Baldur looked for his sword, but he had left it in the tent.

"What could a man your size possibly do to me?" Baldur mocked him.

"It might surprise you… But I'm here for the Queen." Lord Aurelius said and Baldur turned to see Anna surrounded by three vicious wolves waiting for an order. Their mouths were bloody, they must have killed one of his men together, and he froze on his place unable to do anything for a moment.

"NO!" Baldur recovered his breath and went to fight the fierce wolves. He had more strength than an ordinary knight — being a descendant of the Aesir — known for their skills in war and uncommon strength attributed to a magical cup from which only the royal family could drink the mythical ether that gave them unnatural force.

 _But it didn't make them immortal, did it?_  Lord Aurelius would enjoy watching.

Baldur was bitten in the calves, thighs, and arms; his whole body bled but he wouldn't give up. Anna started opening her eyes and thought she was having a nightmare, her vision was blurry, but it all became real the moment Lord Aurelius put his boney hands on her. "No! Leave me alone!" She struggled with the old man and made him loose balance and trip, and in his fall he hit his head on a rock and almost lost conscience.

Baldur continued fighting against the wolves and Anna took Aurelius' sword to help him. She used all her strength and from a swipe, she decapitated the wolf pulling on his left arm to rip it off. But this made one of the remaining wolves turn his attention to the girl; it pounced on her, made her land over her back and went after her jugular, but she pushed his head with her hands using all her might to stop it from coming close to her neck.

"Anna!" Baldur groaned and with the surge of adrenaline managed to break the neck of the beast attacking him. He ran to her side and grabbed the wolf by its hind legs, pulled it away from her and spun with the animal until gaining enough speed to crash his skull against a big rock and killed it.

"Are you hurt?" He went to her side and pulled her into his arms, embracing her with despair. He might have just met her but he couldn't imagine not seeing her again. He knew she might just be whom he had always wanted, a brave and silly girl who could slay vicious wolves if she had to.

"I am now… Thank you." Anna responded and blushed in his embrace, holding onto his blooded body with relief.  _She was someone worth fighting for_ , not a burden, like she was made to feel in the council. That  _stupid crazy girl_  they had for Queen could have someone who saw her differently.

Some of his soldiers came and found them safe, and told Baldur they had killed the wolves but lost two men in the process. Their Prince asked them to take Anna with them while he took care of the last beast and they guided Anna back to the camp.

Baldur walked to where the old man lay unconscious, bleeding from his head, but he could see him breathing and picked up the sword from the ground to bring it up in the air and aim for his white-haired head.

"I know you can hear me. Why do you want the Queen dead?" Baldur asked while holding the sword up but the old man mumbled something he could quite understand. "ANSWER ME!" He demanded with anger.

"Raz… I call upon you." The old man said more loudly while his hand was inside his cloak touching something.

"Raz? Is he whom gives you orders?" Baldur asked as his hand went to take whatever the old man had been keeping under his cloak.

 _A book._  But he didn't see when the black gemstone encrusted in the cover glowed. "Answer! Who is behind you?" Baldur asked again.

"A better question is…  _Who_  is behind  _you_?" The old man smirked and Baldur felt as a hand went through his body, coming from behind, and saw his own heart beating in front of him in the hand of a faceless entity.

"Would you like me to crush it, or do you have a different purpose for him, Master?" The entity asked Aurelius, his voice coarse, low, and cryptic.

"I think I found my successor, Raz." The old man said but started coughing. "Do it."

The dark entity pulled out his boney arm and let Baldur's body fall on his knees. He dragged him by the cloak and put him to lay next to Aurelius.

"What will you do to me?" The Prince asked weakly, his heart still glowing in the entity's hand.

"Present you with fate. Did you really think you could fool death?" The creature answered and pulled his hood to show him his face.

"Brother…" Baldur let out in a breath, but the face started to change and this time showed him his father's, his mother's, and lastly his own face.

"You can no more run." The faceless entity said and went to rip out Aurelius' heart.

He began to intone a spell and black magic started swirling around both bodies laying on the ground, until their spirits were drawn out of their shells and went to the opposite heart in the entity's grasp. Raz put the hearts back in their bodies, but the owners had changed, and now Baldur was dying instead of Aurelius in the old man's body.

"You have a new vessel, a new life. And as payment I shall take his now." The entity said to the owner of the Book of Death.

Aurelius, or rather Baldur now, smirked and watched as the entity sucked light out of his previous body until it stopped moving and a new chapter began to write inside the book, speaking of the last victim stolen from life: Baldur.

"Is there anything else you would like from me?" The entity asked.

"Not for the moment. As always, it was a pleasure doing business with the Devourer." Baldur said and the entity vanished in a black cloud that reeked of death.

It was unknown how many copies of this book existed, but coming across one made you master of the creature that devoured life. But not just any life would suffice, as it preferred owners of hearts with light. Offering a dark heart would be an insult, the reason why he couldn't use it with Hans, and Anna hadn't really been a problem for him until recently.  _That clueless child._

Baldur returned to the camp with Aurelius' inert body over his shoulder. He told Anna he had died from the fall and his old age, and in the morrow arranged for their departure to bring the Queen of Arendelle back to her kingdom safely.

The Queen told the council about Lord Aurelius' treason and showed them the bodies of his chained wolves that they brought back with them. Aurelius body was also presented to them and they could see it had a bruise on the back of his head but no other injuries.

They couldn't argue the Queen's word, but neither could they trust this Prince from Asgard they were seeing for the first time. Lord Aurelius had been their Grand Master and  _Regent King_  since Anna wasn't considered fit in her "mental state," and there were many amongst them that believed this had all been a set-up to fool the  _weak lonely_  Queen and  _woo_  her, and make the third son of the Aesir King of Arendelle.

Prince Baldur spent the following days courting Anna, being the gentleman any woman could dream of, but Anna couldn't get past the  _too good to be true_ feeling – oddly familiar. Still, what she had felt when they embraced after the wolf attack, was deeply etched in her heart and she wanted to hold on to that feeling he had awoken in her that fateful night.

She shared with him why she continued running from the palace and always went to that broken staircase. She felt it was important for her and continued hearing the echo of a voice in her head that screamed her name with despair.  _Anna._  It always woke her from her sleep and set her in motion to the forest. That voice came from the enchanted staircase that never melt, and from which no one knew its origin.

"You must now believe I'm insane." Anna said to Baldur and looked downcast, but he lifted her chin gently with his finger and looked into her eyes. "Some say there are dreams that come from a past life... maybe it's the echo of those memories what you're hearing, Anna." He said kindly to her and the Queen was lost in his deep blue eyes. Baldur leaned forward slowly and brought his face close to hers, Anna felt her heart flutter and her cheeks turned rosy, and it was precisely her cheeks what the gallant prince kissed – not her lips. "It is me whom has lost his head, but only for you." He said sweetly and Anna fell for him.

They were married by the end of the month and a big event celebrated the union of two powerful realms through their marriage. Queen Frigga and King Odin attended to the wedding and not even them noticed his different demeanor, how he would look at others with an air of superiority – something Baldur had never done – because it was their son, he was still alive, and they couldn't see beyond the furor of this miracle.

When they made their vows and shared their first kiss in the altar, no curse was broken… nobody remembered Elsa… and no one recalled the greedy Hans because there was no True Love in that marriage.

Though, Aurelius was a much better husband than Hans had ever been for Anna. It wasn't necessary to be cruel, he had her under a different control; she loved him, but he couldn't return those feelings. He faked them, it just wasn't in his nature to care for anyone else than him, so when the news of her pregnancy were given to him; he turned around and ordered everyone in the room to leave.  _He had never touched her,_ and in Baldur's memories he could see that neither did the Prince of Asgard _._

Anna couldn't come with an answer, she was just as baffled as her husband but she was innocent. She had not betrayed him, not even when she knew of his secret affair with the steward from Asgard.  _Someone must have taken advantage in her sleep…_  that was the only thing Anna could imagine, but Aurelius remembered.  _It was Hans' child._

He went and kissed her forehead. "Anna…" He said with  _practiced_  remorse.

 _He couldn't be the fool of Arendelle._  If the realm learned the child was a _bastard,_  it would make him look like the biggest imbecile, and decided to recognize Hans' child as his own. Besides, this had just saved him the displeasure of having to touch the Queen to put a seed in her womb to create an heir.

"You're right, it is mine. I took advantage when you were sleeping in my tent that night. I'm sorry."

Anna was surprised by his admission and felt hurt beyond repair.  _How could he do that to her?_ She had trusted him and now her love was a castle built upon sand coming apart. She cried and cried, but tried to move on because they were married now.  _She married in love…_  if he had done that in the past, she should forgive him, shouldn't she?  _No._  She couldn't and didn't want to have him close.

The time for her child to be born came, and a lovely boy graced the palace. Anna was happy with her baby, she felt so much love the moment she had him in her arms and saw his tiny hands and feet, his rosy skin, and lost her breath when his eyes opened to see her for the first time.

 _Light grey eyes… How rare is that?_ No one in her ancestry had ever had a child with such eye color.  _Maybe Baldur's family had?_ But something else was different, though in her. Her mysterious white strand of hair was no longer. Somehow it had begun to fade into strawberry blonde during her pregnancy and now was completely gone.

King Baldur would rarely be seen with the Queen or their child, he was invested in business transactions and making Arendelle grow in wealth and power. He was also forming a bigger army in preparation for war, because his mind was still set in conquering other kingdoms when the time was favorable.

The council found his radical new training of the army monstrous, torturing their soldiers so they would be prepared for suffering if they were captured and would first give their limbs and life before the King's plans or location. An army like this would take years to build, though, but he was patient and patience was always rewarded with success.

Baldur would try each year to make the age for joining the forces younger, so he could mold children to his needs and turn them into death machines with no moral, but the council wouldn't let him. He managed to bring it down to nine years, but that was when his citizens began to make fuzz in the streets and he left it at ten again.  _But money,_  they had a lot of that and made the wages for soldiers juicy ones and some people started to forget why children didn't belong in the field and riots became rare.

Just as Arendelle's wealth and army kept growing, so did the heir, and with each day passing the gossip of his dissimilarity from the King became louder. Anthony, the Prince, had silvery eyes that had never before been seen in Arendelle, but what was most upsetting was his odd white hair. Nobody had an explanation for it, as Anna's was strawberry blonde and Baldur had golden; this boy was illegitimate.

There was a conspiracy brewing to bring Baldur down from the throne and get rid of Anna's bastard son, accuse the Queen of adultery, insanity, and finally appoint one of the Lords as King. Arendelle had become a beautiful nest of vipers waiting for you to take the wrong step and bite your ankle.

When the Prince turned sixteen, there was a celebration in his honor. He was now the age to become a husband and they sent invitations to every realm in hope there would be one special princess to capture his heart. A lot of them came, but not all, and Baldur took note of which realms had shown their loyalties and which hadn't. Marriages were serious business, they unified kingdoms, and he saw Anthony as just another of his goods to barter with.

"You will marry Princess Abigail, Midas' daughter." Baldur said to Anthony after having taken a look at the princesses and their parents. King Midas was the wealthiest, proudest, and presented a very good opportunity for a partnership. But Anthony confronted him, told him he didn't like that girl "so full of herself" and had met someone he felt connected with.  _Poor foolish child, just like his mother._  His father burst his bubble. This ball wasn't so he could fall in love with a  _lesser_ princess, this was a business transaction and he would go arrange the wedding with Midas this moment.

"No! I refuse. Why do you treat me like property? I'm your son!" Anthony groaned and his father slapped him. Told him  _as his son_  and  _heir_  he had a duty to Arendelle and had to see the best option available amongst these women. Beauty was temporary; Love: finite; but Power, it was everything.

"You never have loved us." Anthony muttered and Baldur stopped a few steps from the door.

This child of Hans was so different from what he could've expected, and somehow his words got to him – but didn't really fully soften him.

"Choose whomever you want," his father told him and walked to the door.

"But?" Anthony asked him, he knew there had to be something behind his permission.

"You will stay in her realm and never come back," answered the King and Anthony felt his eyes pool with tears.

"It will be a dream come true. I'm sure Mother will love Agrabah when we are freed from you." Anthony muttered.

"Anna is not part of the deal," the King told him. "Her place is in Arendelle."

The King closed the door behind him and Anthony allowed his bitter tears to fall, wiped them away after a moment of silence and gathered the courage to go ask for Princess Aminah's hand in marriage.

Aladdin and Jasmine accepted, they could see in his eyes he really liked their eldest daughter and had no bad intentions, and took the Prince of Arendelle with them to live in Agrabah as part of the agreement. Everyone knew the King of Arendelle had a  _secret_ army growing in numbers; it was wiser to become an ally rather than an enemy, and Agrabah really enjoyed peace.

Anna didn't see her son for two years until the wedding, as Aladdin and Jasmine didn't want their daughter to marry so soon and wanted to give both teens the chance to get to know each other better and see if what they had was True Love. And it was, they discovered it while playing in the dunes.

Aminah was trapped in quicksand and her life was endangered, but they had come alone in the magic carpet and not even with the help of the rug could Anthony help her out of her entrapment. Despair and fear of losing her then made something strange happen; Anthony's hands shot a ray of silver light and made the sand freeze. He went to break the ice around her and could pull Aminah out, very much alive. He didn't know he had magic until that day.

After the wedding in Agrabah, Anna had to go back to Arendelle with her King but was thankful he had allowed their son to marry someone he loved. Anthony had a good life now and that was all the peace she could ask for, her own happiness didn't matter. But when she kissed his forehead to say her last good-bye, something magical occurred; memories of her childhood were returned, and she knew now who was the owner of that tormented voice she had been hearing every night.  _It was her sister's._

The curse was broken in Agrabah, so it only returned Anna's memories and she had to keep it a secret; Baldur was dangerous and now she knew he wasn't her son's father but…  _Who was he really?_ He was a complete different man from the one she met that fateful night of howling and screaming.

Anna remembered the day Elsa was trapped in the urn, and images of people dressing the palace for her coronation and Hans' appeared in her mind. But Hans disappeared before it happened, soon after the Dark Wizard gave him the potions, and never came back.  _Why had he erased his own existence, if he would finally be King?_  Anna started to investigate.

One of the many nights when Baldur got drunk with his steward and slept in his servant's bedchambers, Anna use the opportunity to look in his possessions; she looked everywhere she could think of until she found a peculiar book hidden inside a taxidermy trophy.

She went through the pages but couldn't make something of them; they looked like biographies of important people, she assumed… until she saw the last page and read her husband's name. It said everything about his linage, his trips, his life… and his death. She learned it had been Lord Aurelius, the Duke of Weselton, whom traded vessels with Baldur and took over his life. Anna put back the book and went to her bedchambers to mourn her loss.

With her son gone, gossip and conspiring became less heard of, Baldur had a big army now and spies everywhere — what contributed to the "quieting" of the minorities; people would go  _missing_  and never be found again, and so the rebels began to loose numbers. "The Purge" continued for years and there was a cold peace in Arendelle; nobody dared speaking ill of the King or Queen, and their son was never mentioned... it was as if he had never even been born. But everyone knew of his existence; everyone knew of the Bastard Prince exiled to Agrabah.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was influenced by Game of Thrones when writing this and, truthfully, it's more likely to find woe than happy endings in "medieval times" (fairy tales). Let's see how we solve them...


	25. Chapter 25

Elsa was having problems with controlling her emotions; she was in shock after having learned about the misfortune of her realm, and the living hell her sister had to endure without her. No matter how far she'd come with her magic, nothing could prepare her for a tragic story such as this and the rage she felt growl in the pit of her stomach brought thundering clouds to the peak of the mountain. The air began to howl like the swirling storm inside her soul and her powers shot from her body to the clouds in a blinding ray of light, making the weather become a mirror of her turmoil.

The Shaman came and put a hand on her shoulder kindly. "Please don't make it worse than it already is for Arendelle," the wise elder pleaded. "If you let all your anger flurry in the way of magic, you'll have none left to help your sister when you come to find her."

Elsa steeled her jaw and her teeth almost screeched from the grinding, but she listened. She would have to make a new plan of invasion now that she knew about the secret army the King possessed. Her only option was winning, but how could her royal guard of _thirty_  defeat an army of  _two thousand?_ She could rely on magic but her people didn't have any — they would just be walking into slaughter. She needed a miracle or an army of  _dragons_ to overpower Baldur —  _Aurelius._

Her plan had been moving with stealth in the cover of night, break into the castle, find Anna and bring her to safety, and then Elsa would confront the King about the people he held prisoner from her new realm — the Enchanted Forest, or Misthaven as it was known in Arendelle. But now everything had taken an unexpected turn and she had to be more careful, seeing as how Baldur had in his hold a servant of darkness with millenary magic stolen from light bearers.

In the last weeks, she had learned Arendelle was being oppressed by the  _repudiated_  foreign monarch, but nothing she'd imagined came close to the story the Shaman showed her just now.

The rightful Queen of Arendelle breathed deeply and began to calm down, the storm clouds soon started to fade away and no more thunders lit the sky, but to make the incident seem  _natural_ ; she let harmless clouds make it rain in Arendelle — but kept her camp rainless.

Her knights were worried but felt relieved when their Majesty came back to the camp and ordered them to take rounds to guard the perimeter while she retreated to plan the next move.

 _She didn't look her usual self,_  everyone could notice her pained expression and the stiffness in her movement, and Mirabelle came to her side and walked with her to the tent set up for her Highness.

Elsa was flustered about everything this evening had given her — Regina's rejection and the Shaman's revelation — it was too much and her handmaiden couldn't avoid feeling theurgent need to make her Queen feel better. She wanted to do anythingthat might give Elsa some peace, some release, from all the tension she could see her carry in that graceful body — from what the Queen wouldn't speak about.

As Elsa sat down on a pillow, Mirabelle came behind her and gently placed her hands over her shoulders to ease the tension in her muscles. "Let me soothe you, my Queen." The maiden offered and massaged her shoulders and neck with expert care, having worked in physical therapy in Storybrooke. It wasn't the first time she relieved the Queen with her healing touch and Elsa let a deep breath out, trying to relax.

She felt some of the tension cease, but still had too much in her mind to let go of and Mirabelle's touch was becoming  _difficult_   _to stand_  for Elsa after what happened earlier in the meeting with her partner. She knew Regina was angry, hurt, and just wanted to make her jealous with the mention of Emma to punish her.  _But_   _if they really were together_ , well, that would take some time to digest and — Regina was right —  _she had lost her rights upon leaving._ Her shoulders tensed again and Mirabelle rubbed her hands together until they became warmer and placed them over tight shoulder blades once more to soothe them.

After having made the first connection with Regina through the charmed necklace, Elsa didn't put it back because the gateway was now active and any time any of them were to wear it; said user would immediately be sent to that world — even if the other person weren't wearing it. This would make things somewhat difficult again but given how Regina had treated her, it wouldn't make much of a difference from what they'd had until then.

 _Or would it?_  Elsa side glanced the chest where she kept the charm hidden. She asked not to be disturbed unless it was an emergency and dismissed her maid to have some time alone to plot her revenge and maybe, with luck, find some rest.

But she had no head for warfare. Instead, she retrieved her necklace from inside the coffer and looked at the pendant for a while before putting it away again; she turned off her candle, closed her eyes, and tried to think about something that could bring her peace this sleepless night… and started dreaming of Regina.

Mirabelle had gone back to her own tent and was brushing her black hair when an idea occurred to her after comparing herself with  _that woman_  Elsa couldn't get out of her head. She, too, had brown eyes, light olive skin, very slightly thinner lips; but her hair was wavy and reached to her waist — that was what made her most different from Regina, so she cut it until it only touched her shoulders, brushed it to make it smoother, and put a crimson stain on her lips to make them much more enticing and appear fuller.

The woman silently called for Elsa outside the Queen's tent but upon hearing no answer, she quietly sneaked inside before anyone would see her. Elsa had just fallen asleep so when she felt a presence near, her eyes only parted very slightly and could barely distinguish feminine curves through a sheer nightgown coming closer, and with the scarce amount of moonlight filtering, she saw  _familiar_  short black hair and red lips coming to her level.

"Regina?" The Queen mumbled more asleep than awake. "Shhh…" Mirabelle pressed her index finger on rosy lips gently as she now crawled over the Queen's body to straddle her, and Elsa's aching heart and confused mind then showed her the face of her lover in the woman approaching in the shadows. "Have you forgiven me?" The blonde asked, thinking they were wearing their necklaces and had reunited in the lovers' realm.

This time there was no hushing to answer her question but lips crashing against hers with some nervousness that quickly turned into smoldering kissing when Elsa's hand gripped on her hair and deepened the kiss. "Mmmm…" Mirabelle moaned and Elsa rolled them over and pinned her down.

"Oh, how much I've missed hearing your voice… Tonight I will make sure you don't leave before at least screaming my name three times." Elsa said in her ear before moving back to her lips. Her tongue soon found its way inside that hot mouth aching for her and their kissing turned more passionate.

Her hands made sure to keep a steady grip on  _Regina's_  wrists at the sides of her head while she now kissed and licked her warm neck. "You're mine — nobody else's," the blonde said with a hoarse voice and then  _branded_  her for the first time; sucking on her skin until she was sure a hickey would mark her territory.

Elsa moved down to her covered chest, released her grip and used her hands to rip open the top of that  _useless_  nightgown and expose round pert breasts, what made Mirabelle groan in both surprise and arousal. She'd suspected the Queen was a good lover, but didn't anticipate she could be so deliciously primal.

Elsa's mouth went to kiss the space between her breasts and slowly continued moving down while her fingers paid  _torturous_  attention to hardened nipples. "I want to  _devour_  you whole," Elsa groaned in the darkness, completely overtaken by her hunger.

A heated whimper came out of red lips and Elsa continued kissing down her torso, but then noticed the big difference between the woman in her bed and Regina. Her eyes opened wide and her hands went to touch the  _flat stomach_  where her child was  _supposed_  to be. She lit the candle with her magic and then saw who was the real person she was making love to.

"Mirabelle?!" The Queen jumped off of her and rubbed her eyes, unsure if she was really awake this time and a hand went to touch at her own neck.  _No necklace._

"Elsa, I can explain." The brunette sat up and tried to cover her breasts with her arms in shame.

"It's your Majesty, and I have no interest in hearing your excuse." Elsa gave an icy glare. "Leave."

"I'm sorry, my Queen. It's just — it's been so long since you last were with her and you were so stressed, I thought—"

"You  _thought_ impersonating my  _True Love_  would go unnoticed in my own bed," the Queen snarked. "I could have you executed."

"No! Please, I beg you. I … I wanted to soothe you, Highness." Mirabelle cried. "I'm very sorry, I just… I wish you could see there's someone else who pines for you. Someone who wants to see you happy again and be part of the reason, however small it may be." The younger woman broke into sobs.

"Mira…" Elsa sighed deeply. "You've only made it worse," the Queen said with distress. "I will see that Sir George returns you safely to Misthaven at dawn." Elsa waved a hand and her magic made Mirabelle's nightgown stitch back to shape. "Please leave my tent now," the blonde ordered.

The Queen of Arendelle couldn't fall back asleep after the upsetting encounter, and felt her anger only increase with the sexual frustration she had managed to dismiss until this night. Her blood had boiled like never before at the thought of having Regina again after so much time apart, and she felt all the stress burn inside like a volcano waiting to burst in a merciless eruption.

"Conceal, don't feel,"Elsa repeated like a mantra but her mind had a different thought.  _I want to feel you, Regina._

* * *

Storybrooke, Maine.

Regina kept the necklace a secret as she wasn't sure what kind of  _world_ she'd just come back from, and seeing Elsa had been overwhelming. She was still angry, that was granted, but she also missed her and having seen the Queen of Arendelle again only made the aching much more unbearable. But magic  _always_  had a cost and the experienced sorceress knew she couldn't just walk back into that world without expecting any consequences for transcending realms, and decided she would visit the library the next day to learn more about places of this nature while Henry was in school.

She found different references in an assortment of books and learned by putting the pieces together that the place she was sent to with Elsa was a dimension suspended in between worlds. It wasn't a realm of its own; the reason why she couldn't smell or feel the nature in that paradise, and it was very dangerous to spend a long time inside this  _dimensional_   _bubble_. Your spirits could be trapped together  _forever_  while your bodies perished in the real world.

It seemed romantic for a couple; spending infinity with one another, but it wasn't for the people around them. And Regina was pregnant, if she were to be trapped: her child would never come to term.

All magic came with a price and Regina decided to put the necklace away until she could find some form of protection for herself. Time in the Lovers' Lair didn't run in the same pace it did here and they could easily loose track and become lost in each other.  _Maybe it had been good she was cold with Elsa_ … even when she longed to go back to that little bubble and give into her warm embrace; the only thing she could feel real in that false paradise.

Regina spent most of her day in the library until it was time to go the office because Bettie kept calling her to ask if she would be soon there, but every time the mayor said "in half an hour," it would turn into a  _full one_  and her secretary was tired of calling and Regina of answering. The mayor just went to check what was urgent — which wasn't much really — as Storybrooke was pretty tranquil now that it only had half the population.

The troublemakers had been the lost boys and Leroy, but the bandits had gone back to the fairy tale world and Leroy was no longer the  _grumpy street drunk_  after Nova chose him and left life as a nun and fairy to live with him. Equipment for the local weather channel had arrived; new computers where installed in Henry's school; and even newer electronics replaced their 80's versions in the stores.

 _So much to please this demanding bunch of peasants_ , Regina reconsidered going back to the Enchanted Forest. As Queen  _here_  she was actually a servant to her people, not the other way around. But even with work, Regina couldn't stop thinking about her reunion with Elsa and now that she knew she could see her, she really wanted to return home and take that necklace to wear it — but she also had to be careful after all of what she'd learned in the course of her morning.

Instead, the sorceress decided to break into Rumplestiltskin's abandoned shop and start her own inventory of the relics he had in his possession, but realized it would take her more time than she'd imagined making a list of each item and its powers, and took the hardest decision she had made since deciding to stay: stepping down  _the throne_  to name Mary Margaret her  _successor_ , the new Mayor of Storybrooke.

Regina went back to her office before Emma appeared with Henry and called the  _un-Charmings_  to ask them to come together. She gave them the news that she would be taking a break from her duties as mayor, used her pregnancy as the reason, and Mary Margaret and David were surprised but excited to rule their  _kingdom_  again.  _Little did they know,_  that this world was much more complex and bureaucratic.

* * *

_Evening._

Once she was home and Henry went to his bedroom, Regina walked to the dresser and retrieved the necklace. She held it in her hands for a while, thinking…  _But whom did she want to fool?_  She was dying to wear it and travel to her partner's side once more, so she did: to alert Elsa of the dangers  _— not because she wanted to see her (or hug her) —_ if it happened, it would just be incidental.  _Exactly._

Again, she felt sucked into a wormhole and then appeared in the garden, but Elsa wasn't coming and Regina began to grow impatient.  _Had she sent her away for life?_  The brunette wondered and started to lose hope, and just when she was about to remove her charm; her belly glowed, and it didn't take much longer until Elsa made her appearance. But the Queen of Arendelle didn't run to her side this time; she walked slowly, locked gazes momentarily and averted her eyes.

"Elsa? You seem… different." Regina commented at her girlfriend's lack of greeting and gloomy bearing.  _Could she still be mad because of their quarrel?_  The brunette wondered and felt a little remorseful, since it was rare to make Elsa  _really_  upset — at least with her…  _But when she got mad,_  she conjured storms or cast curses and disappeared.

"It's just the hair." Elsa looked up again and smiled half-heartedly. "It hasn't grown that much… makes me look different," she ran her fingers through her hair and then looked to where trees created a nice shade. It wasn't like the sun burned her, she didn't even feel it, but there was something soothing about sitting under its shade that made her want to go there.

"Hmm… It will take some getting used to." Regina looked at her unconvinced and couldn't shake a feeling of worry, but she couldn't yet let her harsh façade down either and didn't know what to do now. Thankfully, Elsa wasn't one to keep walls up when it came to Regina and decided to take the first step. "Come with me?" She offered her hand for the brunette to take it.

Regina hesitated, but there was something about Elsa's demeanor that she couldn't ignore and she finally gave in and put her pride aside; joined their hands and intertwined their fingers, making Elsa smile — but it wasn't a bright smile like the ones she usually had for her and Regina needed to know why.  _This wasn't because of their fight._

They walked to the tree and sat under the shade but Elsa's gaze got lost in the horizon and Regina really couldn't stand the silence that settled, nor her unfamiliar behavior.

"I'm sorry for having been so prided yesterday." The brunette finally said and Elsa squeezed her hand.

"I'm not mad at you, Regina. You were in  _all_  your right to be aggrieved; I was impulsive, and didn't fully think what I was doing… I left you, both, and I will never forgive myself for having done that." Elsa said with a raspy voice, her eyes welling up with tears.

"But I was wrong to make you think I had something with…" Regina paused. She didn't really want to mention the name.

"It doesn't matter. If you're here, it is because you love me just as much as I love you." Elsa smiled a little more happily this time and brought Regina's hand to her lips to kiss it. "And even if you were… it's your happiness what I want most. I might not be able to return to you…" She exhaled heavily.

She felt guilty after her  _almost_ slip with Mirabelle, and didn't have much hope for them after what she learned about Arendelle, knew she would be walking into a certain death soon but if her life were what it would take to give Anna a glimpse of happiness; she would do it without a second thought. That was true  _until_ she saw Regina's advanced pregnancy the day before.  _All what she was missing._

Anna had the worst life she could've imagined and Elsa wanted, needed, to bring a happy ending her way; but she also had her own family who needed her now.  _If she could only turn back time…_ Elsa sighed deeply. She was torn and hopeless.

"This world _…_  these small moments are  _all_  I can offer you." Elsa's eyes turned dull after sharing those words.

"Why does this feel like you're saying good-bye again?" Brown eyes looked deep into blue. "Have you found Anna? Is she with you, or is she…" the brunette stared and tried to read the pained expression in Elsa's face.  _Could she be dead? Had this journey been in vain?_

"No…" answered Elsa as her tears fell and Regina pulled her into her arms, thinking the worst. "I haven't found her, but I learned about the nightmare she's had for a life." Elsa continued crying. "Everything is… fucked up, and I can't — I'm not strong enough. I can't do this alone."

"But, love, you're not alone. You have us and I'm looking for a way to be together — for real — again. Please tell me why you're acting like this. What's happening there, Elsa? You're making me worried."

"Regina,  _my one and only…_ We're going to war with Arendelle…" Elsa answered. "I don't think I will live past tomorrow."

Regina felt her heart stop for a moment and tried to digest what she had just been thrown like an ice bucket.

"No," she held Elsa tighter and sought her eyes. "You WILL live. Tomorrow and the day after."

"But Regina, you don't know—"

"Stop." The brunette interrupted. "You  _will_  live because I'm giving you an order, and no one, listen well: NO ONE disobeys the  _Evil Queen,_  you understand me? If you die, I  _swear_ I will look for you in all the realms and when I find you; I  _will_  kill you with my own hands again for deceiving me."

"Regina… that doesn't make sense." Elsa half-heartedly smiled.

"Elsa. I forbid you to die and I expect you here tomorrow, the day after and everyday until you come back or I go back to you. I  _will_  see you again." Regina's voice broke, her tears streamed down, and after that sentence she cupped Elsa's face in her hands and looked into sapphire eyes. "I love you too much to loose you again. Please… Don't leave me a second time. Not ever."

Elsa was at a loss of words. Regina had never been as expressive, so  _sweet_  and  _vulnerable_  in her own way, and it gave her hope and strength for what she would have to face the next day.

"In the event I don't come… please know that I never loved like I love you. And please tell my little snowflake that my biggest regret was not seeing her grow," said Elsa as she put her hands on Regina's belly. "Blood of my own, I will watch over you from wherever I may go."

"No, you won't because you're not dying." Regina muttered. "You won't watch over her; you will raise her, with me." The brunette said firmly, her voice broken and eyes glazed.

At those words, Elsa finally broke. "Regina!" She cried out and embraced the middle of her torso, her head against Regina's soft warm chest as she sobbed. "I want you more than anything, I need you more than I need air, and I wish you were truly with me."

Regina smiled and brushed some of the blonde's hair away from her wet face, wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes and leaned forward; looking deep into ocean eyes and those soft lips she missed so much feeling against hers.  _How long had it been since their last kiss?_ It felt like an eternity and life pounded in their chests with fervor.

Regina cupped Elsa's face in her hands and brought her closer to hers. "If you wish upon a star," she whispered over rosy lips and closed her eyes, and Elsa closed her own to melt into a kiss she had been dying to receive from her partner; from the woman that had changed her life entirely and given new purpose to her  _doomed_  existence.

Their lips met in a gentle kiss that was filled with all the love from months of separation, the pain of departure, and the promise of a better future. There could be no truer innocence in their touch than the pure wish of sharing life together to look after each other, and when they slowly parted and opened their eyes to lock loving gazes, almost didn't realize of their new surrounding.

The bubble had shattered, two dimensions collided, and the bridge between both worlds had been Elsa's magic present in Arendelle and in Storybrooke, making the connection and a portal was born from their true love and light magic. The power had emanated from their daughter.

"I'm cold." Regina finally noticed the contrast from the  _bubble_  where she couldn't feel the weather, but here she was freezing and then looked around them. "Where are we?" She asked and held onto Elsa when she found their location to be the middle of a broken ice staircase that had nothingness beneath them.

"What?" Elsa was still lost in the soothing effect of that blissful kiss of life. Squinting, she looked around. "Arendelle, why?" The blonde asked and then reacted. "Oh my god. You, me,  _we_  are in Arendelle." The younger woman embraced her lover tightly and made magic swirl around Regina to give her proper clothing to protect her from the coldness. "We did it!"

"We  _transcended_  realms? I don't understand… No book mentioned it was possible to crossover." Regina tried to rationalize. "My body, what if it still is in Storybrooke? Our baby could die." She quickly moved her hand down to her belly in fear it might not be there anymore, but it still was and glowing with after-magic. "You did this?" Regina asked her child incredulously and a light pulse gave her the answer.

"My little snowflake," Elsa's voice quavered but this time from joy and the blonde peppered kisses over that beautiful belly she loved more than ever.

"I wasn't going to wear my necklace today… I came here to think about Anna, about you and our daughter and as I was holding the pendant in my hand; it suddenly glowed, and I knew I had to put it on." Elsa said to Regina and the brunette remembered it had been her child who stopped her from leaving before Elsa appeared.  _Their little snowflake brought them together._

Still, Regina needed to make sure this was no illusion and insisted on removing their necklaces. Elsa didn't want to, she feared it might send her woman back to Storybrooke but the well being of their daughter was more important and she had to agree in removing them — however terrifying the idea.

When they removed them, something unexpected happened:  _nothing,_  and both women kissed after putting back their charms. "I love you," they said to each other and stepped to the safe part of the mountain.

They were about to go the camp when Regina felt something behind them, turned to look and distinguished a subtle glow and waving effect in the middle of the broken staircase, like heat haze. "Wait," Regina asked Elsa and carefully went up the stairs to have a closer look, sensing magic very fine but powerful once you perceived it with a trained sense.

It was the portal,  _but did it lead to Storybrooke?_  They had to find out before anyone else to protect such an important phenomenon. No more would they need magical beans or to cast the Dark Curse with the heart of the thing you loved most to travel dimensions — to go to Storybrooke.

But Elsa couldn't risk letting Regina cross it or going herself and becoming lost in the unknown. For all they knew, it could be  _the bubble_ or even a whole different world. Instead, she summoned Olaf and commanded him to walk to the other  _end_  of the bridge and come back with something familiar from the other side.

"Elsa… there is  _no other end_  of the bridge," the snowman looked suspiciously at her and pointed with his wooden hand to the broken staircase. "Did she ask you again to get rid of me?" He looked with sad puppy eyes at the blonde while pointing to Regina accusingly with a finger. The brunette had never been fond of pets and she couldn't help seeing him as some sort of animal.

"No," Elsa responded and Regina rolled her eyes at Olaf. "Look again," the blonde asked him and with her magic rebuilt the broken staircase to make it a complete safe bridge.

Olaf wasn't fully convinced but decided to please his mistress and walked the steps that lead to the portal and disappeared behind an invisible curtain, and it took him several minutes to come back — but not empty handed.

"What did you find?" Elsa asked the moment he appeared through the  _door_  and looked in his tiny hands.

"This thingy… I brought it from the palace," he gave Elsa her cellphone. "Thank you!" The blonde peppered him with kisses and asked him to go to the brunette's side and stay put. She then turned to Regina and the experienced sorceress hid any signs of the portal under a cloaking spell and made Elsa's bridge appear broken to the rest of them — this would be their very own secret.

* * *

They made it safely to the camp after sending Olaf with a mission to Storybrooke. They gave him an envelope with a card explaining Regina's disappearance and asked him to give it only to Henry and no one else. But there was also something else inside he could hear when shaking the small envelope, but paid it no mind. He took off with excitement in his assignment and his little snowing cloud followed above him to make sure he never melted.

Elsa guided Regina to their tent and her guards were shocked to see the Evil Queen again.  _How could she come back to this world? Had she ripped out Henry's heart?_  The word started to spread amongst the crew but Elsa owed them no explanation and right now all she wanted was to be alone with her love.

Regina entered the tent and looked around, it was different from her style but she liked it… a little. The Persian style with rugs and pillows somehow fit Elsa. They seemed comfortable and were mostly blue and gold, her girlfriend's favorite colors.

Elsa came behind her and helped her remove the thick cloak covering her body from the outside cold and dissimulating her pregnancy still unknown in this world. "So this is our provisional bedchamber before war," the blonde offered a lopsided smile and Regina raised an eyebrow.

"I suppose it will do." Regina replied and went to take seat with Elsa's help, as it was floor level. Their  _bed_  was an assortment of pillows and blankets over a rug.  _Really?_  With her magic couldn't the Queen of Arendelle summon furniture?  _Her men didn't even have to carry it._

"Would it bother you if I  _conjure_  a futon?" The brunette asked, not very comfortable with the idea of sleeping on the floor in her condition.

"Not at all. Whatever you may need, my love." Elsa quickly replied and in a snap of Regina's fingers, both women were now sitting on a much more comfortable cushion.

Regina laid on her side and Elsa did the same, both women looking at each other with all the love they still had in their hearts for one another. Time could wash away pain, mistakes, but it could never erase the love they shared.

"I don't want to close my eyes," said Elsa as her hand caressed Regina's cheek tenderly. "I don't want to fall asleep for I fear I might wake up from the sweetest dream."

Regina smiled beautifully and put her hand over Elsa's. "I'm here to stay," the brunette told her and brought that warm hand to her lips to kiss it. "For as long as you may have me."

"It will be for eternity then," Elsa smiled. "This life and the next to come — all of them — I shall spend with you," she pressed her lips on Regina's and kissed her slowly, enjoying this perfect moment together. She didn't want to rush anything, quite the contrary, she wished for this night to last forever.

 _I want to feel you, Regina._ Her mind had kept her up the night before with that thought, paying no attention to her mantra ordering the contrary. It was a dream coming true.

Her hand went to caress Regina's silhouette and then to rest on her wonderful pregnant tummy, her little miracle she called a snowflake. "You are the light of my heart," said Elsa and caressed her child's haven, and Regina's belly glowed in response.

"You know, it had stopped glowing ever since you left. Our little snowflake missed you just as much as I did and she guided me back to you," the brunette told her and Elsa contained her tears. "Please don't cry because you'll make me cry as well," said Regina and Elsa kissed her immediately.

Their snogging was ever so gentle and amorous, but inevitably grew in heat from the passion that accompanied love. Elsa got out of her dress and gently removed every piece of Regina's clothing she was still wearing from the modern world. She knelt beside her and admired her body.  _Perfection._ Her woman was the most beautiful goddess ever created by the hand of a higher artist.

The Queen of Arendelle kissed every inch of Regina's skin from toes to head and Regina's hands caressed Elsa with the same delicate care. The blonde spent a good amount of time in her warm neck before moving to her heaving breasts and covering a pointy peak with her warm mouth, suckling gently at the extra sensitive flesh while her left hand fondled the other hill aching for attention, and her thigh made a delicious pressure on Regina's humid core, grinding lightly but relentlessly.

Regina felt she was on the verge of madness from so much pleasure; this slow build-up becoming the most unbearable as her senses were intensified by the effects of hormones and the boosted sensitivity in her body, and even the lightest touch sent electrical waves all through her anatomy. "I want to feel you inside me," she groaned while Elsa's tongue teased the other nipple that deserved her worship.

Elsa's thigh glistened as the blonde removed her pressure from Regina's dripping center, the brunette groaned in complaint at the loss of friction but was promptly filled with two fingers that easily slipped inside the velvety space with how wet she had gotten, evoking an even deeper groan from Regina. Elsa's thumb then went to massage that small bud swollen with arousal above Regina's entrance and the brunette was loosing her mind now with Elsa's ministrations inside and outside her.

Elsa's mouth went to suck on her pulse point and Regina moaned in pleasure. "I want to hear my name come from your sweet lips, I don't care if they hear us." Elsa said in Regina's ear as now three fingers slammed in and out of that hot and wet oasis to bring Regina to the very peak of her climax. "Come for me…" Elsa begged in her ear and went to kiss her mouth, their tongues dancing together. A few more thrusts and Regina was sent to heaven and back, with Elsa's name erupting from her mouth in a throaty whimper of ecstasy.

 _Quite the show,_  as their guards had noticed  _long_   _before_  Regina cried out Elsa's name. Their moaning and heavy breathing had been heard, and while some people moved farther away to avoid the embarrassment; others were drawn like bees to honey to listen and get aroused, but couldn't do anything to  _release their tension,_ as they still had to keep guard around the camp.

 _Enjoy while you can,_  Regina thought and when Elsa fell asleep with the brunette in her arms, she intoned a spell to erase that sexual event from their filthy minds. Her screams, moans and groans were only for Elsa to enjoy, just as Elsa's belonged only to her.  _No one else._

* * *

Morning light awakened the lovebirds and Elsa stroked that plump belly tenderly. "Hello my chocolate spoon," she kissed black curls and then a shoulder — a gesture Regina missed terribly and brought a big smile to her face.

"Good morning,  _vanilla spoon_." The brunette greeted, still sounding  _forced_  when using sobriquets and Elsa chortled. "So much time and you haven't gotten any better at endearments," the blonde teased. "tsk-tsk. You have to try harder."

"I just need practice." Regina defended. "Practice you denied me," there was the snarky remark.

"Practice now," said Elsa and smiled. "It never is too late… Not for love." She told her softly and Regina slowly turned around to face her.

"Elsa…" she breathed out, cupped Elsa's face in her hands and kissed her… a kiss that lasted a couple of minutes and made her heart swell. "I'm better at this," the brunette sneered after breaking the kiss and seeing Elsa's dumbfounded expression, like she had lost the ability to think, speak or even breathe.

Elsa blinked and remembered to breathe again. "Fair enough," she said and Regina smooched her again and Elsa felt her body burn wanton. "You  _*kiss*_  little  _*kiss*_  minx," the blonde said in between smooches and Regina loved how easy it was for her to make the _Ice_  Queen  _melt._

But when Elsa pulled her into her body so Regina lay atop her, the brunette stopped kissing her and smirked. "I believe we have a war to plan," she told Elsa, got up, and appeared a modified version of one of her  _evil queen_  dresses to accommodate her body.

She then turned to look at Elsa over the shoulder and was amused by the priceless expression in her face of: disbelief, shock and betrayal.  _How dare you?_ She could see blue eyes  _say_  as the blonde looked deeply offended. "Quit sulking and get ready, creampuff." Regina chuckled.

Elsa didn't know whether to grumble or cry like a whiny baby.  _But_   _creampuff, though?_  That was a  _good one_  and it had come so naturally from Regina's lips that it gave Elsa back her good mood — even when she still was a wee bit disappointed she wouldn't be getting more of that succulent body  _this_  morning.  _Another reason to triumph and live for tomorrow._


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's BACK! IT LIVES! BUT. I have cero notion of medieval warfare—or war at all—as all I know is war is a big NOPE in mah book, SO bear with me on this one. Pretty please. I love you forever. Also, I'm greatly thankful for all of you who have stayed around and have been patient with my seldom updates. There is too much going on in my head and I have a hard time putting everything in order. I am always on tumblr and if you follow me there, you will see why the ff hiatus. I spend my time making silly gifs, swan queen manips, and writing things to keep hope for SQ as endgame. You can find me as Malefistache there, if interested. Without further ado, here an advance to the story.

 

The Queen of Arendelle and the Queen of Misthaven came out of the royal tent to meet with their head of the army, and everyone noticed then what Queen Regina had been hiding under the big cloak she'd been wearing the night before: an heir. It took them by surprise, but who were they to judge, if Elsa seemed happier than ever? Even if a pregnancy  _suggested_  Regina had been with a  _man_ ; they had no idea this was a magical child created with their Queens' True Love.

"Your Highnesses, my men are waiting for your order." Lord Richard, a seasoned knight in battle, greeted them. "Will we carry on with Operation Nightfall?"

"Yes," responded Elsa.

"But with a few modifications," Regina said afterwards.

"What kind of, my Queens?" The marshal asked nervously, noticing the macabre smirk in the former Evil Queen's face.

Regina gave him some instructions and Lord Richard gathered Sir Reagan and his men to give them their assignments.

Their soldiers spent the day sharpening swords, axes, and lances, and fixing the chainmail of their armor so it was impeccable. A small group of men and women were then sent to retrieve very specific herbs from the mountain, and some crystals from inside a mine the rock trolls protected.

The stone creatures were hesitant to help with the enchantment Regina would be brewing, but what chance did they stand against Lord Aurelius and his thousand heartless slayers? There was only one way out and the troll Shaman had to accept it, for if he didn't; the future of Arendelle would be even darker.

"I am trusting you with the very heart of this mountain, Elsa." The Shaman said with a calm, yet unsettling tone.

"And I promise I will bring it back to you untouched," she responded as she took the translucent green crystal in her hands.

"If the golden glow you see in the center comes to loose its shine, this mountain and the earth people will have seen the last day of our kind." The Shaman said with a voice heavy with anguish.

"I will protect it with my life," Elsa pressed the gemstone against her chest.

"Oh, child. I hope it doesn't come to that," the Shaman told her and gave her his blessing, leaving her and Regina to do their work.

Elsa would do anything to save the realm, to protect the people who lived in it and whom she loved—even if the cost was her own life, but she had also now some one else to look after; that little spark of life growing inside Regina's body. She had to win. She couldn't fail.

"We will do this together," Regina said as she laced her fingers with Elsa's.

"No. We said you would command from here. From a safe distance," Elsa was apprehensive.

"I've spent the last months apart from you Elsa. I'm not letting you go away again."

"This is my realm to save…" Elsa said sadly. "Misthaven can't lose you."

"And I can't lose _you_ ," Regina took a step closer and brought Elsa's hand to her stomach. "She can't either."

"Regina…" Elsa felt her eyes well up with tears.

"We are stronger together," Regina rested her forehead on Elsa's gently. "And I may know a thing or two about… slaughter," the brunette said non-too proudly — something that was now hard to believe, but which was true. And it would always be a part of her, but it was a side of Regina Elsa wasn't afraid of, or ashamed to love.

"You… actually do," said Elsa as she gently tucked a brown curl behind Regina's ear and smiled warmly. "But I won't put my family in danger if I can prevent it, my love. You're staying in the camp."

"Elsa, I can take care of myself. We will make it through. And this potion I'm about to make, will make our army that much stronger," Regina assured her.

"Regina," Elsa knit her brow, she was still unconvinced. "You will stay… I'm not letting my True Love venture into the dangerous streets of Arendelle."

"Argh!" Regina groaned. "You're still such a stubborn Ice head!" She let out a deep breath and turned her back to the Queen of Arendelle, arms crossed over her chest.

"Me? Says the five months pregnant lady dressed up in chainmail for battle. Can you even horseback?" The blonde raised an eyebrow.

"I have magic. Why would I need a horse?" The brunette responded with a roll of her eyes.

"Because you've never been to Arendelle; you don't know where to land with your magic."

"Well, that's… true." Regina mused. "I guess we both are difficult to deal with." The brunette admitted.

"Yes, so let's not argue." Elsa took a step closer to the brunette and slipped her hands from behind her to cradle her baby bump. "We'll need our energy in the field," Elsa said behind her ear and kissed her in the shoulder. "Just… stay as close to me as possible when we go there."

"That I can promise," Regina responded as she slowly turned around to meet blue eyes again. "You'll have my back and I'll have yours, " she said warmly and pressed her lips on Elsa's gently. "But now I need to get this potion ready," Regina broke their embrace and both women went to the cauldron set-up for the Sorceress Queen to use.

Regina finished adding the last ingredients to the potion, chanted a spell, and the thick liquid bubbling in the cauldron changed from a repugnant dark green color to that of clear amber, and glowed momentarily when the enchantment was set.

"Lord Richard," the Sorceress Queen called at their field marshal. "Make sure everyone drinks from this potion."

"Yes, your Majesty." He bowed down, but still felt wary. "May I ask what it is?" The nervous grey-haired man asked.

"Liquid courage, of course." The woman smirked and said no more.

Lord Richard gathered all the men and women that had joined this quest to free Arendelle and asked them to make a line to come drink from the magical potion that would give them  _courage_  and an  _unbreakable spirit,_  if they were to be captured.

But this potion would do more than that, and as the sun began to fall, they started feeling their blood boil in their veins; they began to sweat, and had a flush in their complexion that felt like ants crawling under their skin as it became redder. It took them some minutes to go back to normal, but when the sensation passed, they noticed how their senses had become much more aware of their surroundings; suddenly, the flight of the bats inside the cavern in the mountain could be heard even louder, and the stars in the sky seemed to have become much brighter. That was the second of three stages.

With the protective cover of night, they launched Operation Nightfall. Elsa knew well now how to transport with magic, and brought Regina with her to inside the kingdom, while their forces made their way to tunnels they had dug during the months spying.

Their military forces consisted of people from Misthaven (the Enchanted Forest), as well as some refugees from Arendelle that had crossed paths with Elsa's spies and shared the stories about the tyrant King they were forced to bow down to.

Their Arendellian partners had no knowledge of Elsa's bloodline, but they had the same goal as the Regent Queen of Misthaven: wiping the foreign King—  _prince consort_  —off the surface, ridding the realm of his oppression and leaving Queen Anna to reign, as should be.

A common goal had united them and the rebels agreed to help her gypsies with the exchange of information, until one of their leaders hiding in Arendelle was captured together with many of Elsa's infiltrated informants.

Even though the  _Fractal Blitz_ movement (the rebels) had been working alongside their allies from Misthaven, none of them had personally met with the intellectual mind behind Operation Nightfall— Queen Elsa of Misthaven — not until a week before Elsa and Regina reunited.

* * *

Flashback

In the lake behind the mountain, a group consisting of the leaders behind Fractal Blitz had come to meet with the Regent Queen of Misthaven, and what they found surprised them; she was the mysterious cloaked lady they had been seeing haunt the streets of Arendelle late at night — whom they believed a tormented soul, or a ghost lurking in the murkiness of nightfall to steal their own, always leaving a trail of ice behind her that melted with the rays of dawn. Elsa was the ghost they named "Mistress of the Haze."

In the center of the frozen lake Elsa was standing; dressed in a sumptuous cloak of purple colored velvet that had golden thread embellishments in figures only the royal family of Arendelle could wear; a big hood covered her head, and with the distance between them, they couldn't really distinguish her face.

"You… You are real?" A young man asked quietly while admiring her ghostly appeal.

"As real as the grass where you stand on," Elsa responded kindly.

"That voice… is— Have we met before, my Lady?" A mature woman from the group asked her.

Elsa's voice reminded her a lot of Queen Idun's. She had been one of the maids in charge of looking after Elsa and Anna in their childhood, and could almost swear she was hearing the Queen Mother speak.

"In another life, Nan Josephine…" Elsa responded with tenderness that made the old woman's heart clench, but couldn't understand how a stranger could evoke such a feeling in her.

Nan Josephine had only been thirteen when she was entrusted with the joined role in the care of the princesses, but being daughter to Queen Idun's own nanny might have helped in her promotion; it was her historical closeness to the royal family, one that went back in generations of loyal service, and that she possessed a very gentle heart, and was much too mature for her tender age.

"You know my name… and your voice is so familiar, it makes me ache." Josephine said as she walked over the frozen lake to approach Elsa. "May I see your face, Mistress of the Haze?"

Elsa nodded lightly, pulled back the hood of her cloak and smiled warmly at the old lady.

Nan Josephine cupped Elsa's face in warm, wrinkled hands gently and looked closely at her features; she could recognize Idun's fine nose and those almond-shaped eyes, but it didn't make sense, and then she noticed the crown over the platinum blonde head:  _the missing crown that had belonged to the Queen Mother._

"Why do you have this? This belonged to Queen Idun," said the old woman flabbergasted.

Her hands immediately went to take hold of the crown over the blonde's head and then something unexpected happened; the crown glowed brightly, and the woman felt all her memories return in a flood of images that revealed who Elsa was in reality;  _the regnant Queen of Arendelle._

"Elsa!" Nan Josephine broke down in tears as she pulled the lithe woman into her embrace. "You're alive, my precious snowflake!" She sobbed as she held Elsa's head to her chest, like if she still was a little girl.

When Elsa cast the Dark Curse to travel back to the fairytale land, she had intoned it so she would give new, or rather: old, modified memories to the people who came in contact with her, and the trigger for this hex would be the symbol of her heritage: the crown.

 _No longer a Monster but a Queen, shall I return to reign over my Kingdom,_  Elsa had written with her own blood.  _This curse will last until my last breath; no power but my own can break it._

For as long as this curse would be latent, no person that touched the crown and remembered her through these new memories, would be afraid of her; like they'd been when her powers manifested that fateful night thirty years go — this had been the change to the remembrance of her.

Nan Josephine had been the only person, apart from the King and the Queen, that had known about Elsa's magic since it began manifesting. She had been astonished in the beginning, wary as they grew stronger, but never feared Elsa for her powers. And it had been her who gave Elsa that "snowflake" endearment she now used to refer to her and Regina's baby.

Truthfully, Nan Josephine had been more a mother to Elsa than what Queen Idun had ever been. The past hurt but it was an old memory Elsa had concealed in her heart, and right now she was immensely thankful her Nan was still alive and by her side.

"Yes, Nan," Elsa said weeping. "And so are you. I am so glad I could come back." Elsa hugged her a little more tightly, but not as much as she could hurt her fragile looking body.

Everyone felt confused at the scenario but allowed both women to catch-up, and after a couple of hours of tears and laughter, Elsa finally came to join the rest of the leaders. She put the crown over an elegant ivory silken pillow, and asked them to touch it. The effect was a repetition of what had happened with Josephine and they soon were bowing down to the rightful Queen of Arendelle, offering complete loyalty and putting their lives at her full disposition.

Present time.

Elsa and Regina made it to the plaza in the center of the city, near the docks, and from there Regina took a particular interest in one of the towers from the palace ahead, as she could perceive on the tall window an eerie red glow coming from the interior of the chamber.

"Elsa, what does your family keep in that tower?" She asked her with concern.

"Which one—Oh. That used to be part of my parents' bedchambers, a private library, but now they call it the  _Burning Tower_  because of that mysterious glow. But nobody knows what lies there, as only the King is allowed to enter."

"Hmm…" Regina hummed, she could sense familiar dark magic. "I will take care of that when we're inside."

They continued moving and when they got to the entrance of the palace, Elsa shot a ray of light to the sky, making it look like a shooting star briefly to signal her soldiers.

Upon seeing the familiar glimmer in the night sky, her soldiers got behind their shields whilst others started lighting the explosives that would blow a side of the wall surrounding the realm, to make it collapse and sink to the sea.

Undermining was an old, effective tactic they had been working for months now with the help of the Fractals, whom had begun the work even before the Queen of Arendelle made her return and were just waiting for the right time to make their attack. Tonight was the chosen night.

The whole kingdom trembled with the explosion, bells and horns alerted the realm of the attack and knights immediately came out of the palace to march in direction of the source of the commotion. But these knights seemed very different from any soldiers Elsa had ever known in her time ruling. This troop of hundreds seemed to have lost the glow in their eyes that made them look alive; it seemed as if they had lost their humanity.

Elsa puffed with Regina inside the dungeons to come liberate her imprisoned spies and allies. Guards came charging their way and the blonde woman couldn't think for a moment from the impression, but before they could even lay a hand on both women, Regina made their necks break with the mere flick of her wrist.

Elsa was both impressed and shocked at the image, but this was war, what did she expect? Certainly, she was inexperienced and if Regina hadn't come with her, she wouldn't have made it past this phase. She didn't have it in her. She couldn't just kill.

"What are you waiting for, Elsa? Do it!" Regina yelled at her to break her out of reverie.

"Yes, " Elsa shoot her magic and froze and shattered the locks on the cells keeping her men and women prisoners. "Go to the left wing and hide in the stables. The others will come find you." The Queen ordered them.

They moved through the cold hallway and when more guards of the "still human" kind appeared, she shoot her magic to freeze them from feet to waist, getting them stuck on ice so Regina wouldn't take their lives. "Let's go. To the right we will find the stairs that lead to the observation tower," said Elsa to Regina.

"I will transport there to clear the area of nuisance," Regina decided but before she could puff, Elsa stopped her. "No. Let me climb the stairs. You shouldn't use up all your magic. We don't know if it might affect the baby. Wait for me, please." Elsa said almost pleading and the brunette could see her girlfriend's struggle with the way she handled battle. "Fine."

Elsa went up while Regina guarded the foot of the stairs and the half frozen men. One of them began to scream for help and Regina had to use her magic like she once did with Ariel, taking his and all of the other soldiers' voices away so they wouldn't draw more men their way. "You must remember this night and be thankful you have a merciful Queen, because I… I sure wouldn't spare your lives."

"It's clear," Elsa said after poofing down, and brought Regina up with her again. "Can you see from here?" She asked the more experienced sorceress.

"I need a mirror," responded the brunette. Elsa made a mirror out of ice, and Regina focused her magic to make it show her the battle happening by the wall they blew up.

Hundreds of soldiers were fighting against theirs, but even if Regina's potion had gave their men some extra strength, it still wasn't enough. Baldur's men easily tripled them and it had become a bloodshed; Regina had to enact the third stage of her spell.

"You might not like this but there is no other way," Regina said to Elsa.

She took a small bottle from a satchel she carried, containing a black sparkling dust and poured it over the palm of her hand; she blew gently over the powder, and a thick fog of black magic seeped into the mirror and began affecting all the people who had drank from her potion.

"Of the Dark you've tasted, become one with," the sorceress whispered on the mirror.

Their soldiers started letting out lout groans of pain, their bodies began to change, and Baldur's knights became slightly startled at the unfamiliar scenario, but didn't lose time in resuming their attack until they found themselves fighting against ungodly creatures born out of nightmares.

Regina had cursed their soldiers with wicked fairy magic, turning them into creatures humans from the "world without magic" believed mythological beasts and demons.

"Regina! Will they ever turn back to normal?" Elsa asked worriedly.

"Only if the good fairies help us. But knowing Blue… Well, that might not happen."

"You're condemning them to live their lives as demonic creatures?! Why didn't you tell me about this?" Elsa gulped hard, feeling the burden of having ruined these people's lives.

"Would you rather have them die? This way they stand a chance. Those soldiers are too strong and are too many, and we still need time," Regina replied in sharp. "You don't tippy-toe, or skate around war."

Elsa sighed deeply and nodded in agreement. They had to continue with the plan and for that, she needed to get to Anna.


	27. Chapter 27

When the earth trembled and the sound of explosions awakened Arendelle, King Baldur summoned his dark knights to send them to battle. He couldn't fully believe they had dared launch an attack in the city, but after having captured the spies that had been working in the palace to trade information with the rebels, he had no doubt it wasn't only the Fractals who were behind this uprising.

_But who was behind it?_

None of his prisoners had revealed word about whom they were working for. It was always the same names he kept hearing: Josephine, Alphonse, and the Ginger siblings — one of which had been captured. But the King knew these names already; the very heads of the movement, but he was sure there was someone else and he would find out. But even when he summoned Raz to rip their hearts out, the answer was only "the Mistress of the Haze."

The people in these small groups of infiltrated spies didn't know Elsa. The heads had only told them the 'cloaked lady' who haunted the streets of Arendelle was their ally, and she would see that a brighter sun shone upon the cursed lands of Arendelle again.

As for the gypsies, they had always carried with them small bottles crafted by the Dark One, containing a memory potion to erase their knowledge of Elsa and their reason for spying, in case they were captured, so Baldur had only hit dead end after dead end in his search for answers.

But there  _was_  an answer, one he couldn't get his head around completely.

 _No…_   _She was captured thirty years ago; it couldn't be her._   _Why wait until now?_   _Someone else has to be behind this._

He was on the verge of madness with the lack of logic, and wanted to be face to face with the woman who dared mock him with her frequent appearances in Arendelle.

* * *

Days ago…

"A ghost," witnesses had told him when the séance of this cloaked lady began occurring.

"An upset spirit of the sea," an old lady who worked in a humble inn by the shore had said.

She had seen Elsa walk over frozen water and then disappear in a white sparkling fog. It had happened before dawn; Elsa had been remembering the route she used to escape from her own royal guards, thirty years ago, freezing the sea momentarily as she lived the scene again inside her head.

"A fairy! My godmother! And she's most beautiful," a fisherman's child answered with innocent excitement to the King when he asked them.

They had been fishing when a sudden storm hit Arendelle. They were in open sea and couldn't row fast enough to make it to shore in time before the wrath of weather hit them, but something, or someone, rescued father and son from a fatal fate.

It occurred just a few nights prior to the rebellion.

The sea was agitated and the wind blew mercilessly, rain began pouring, and their little boat began filling with water, as violent waves crashed against it.

That night, Elsa had seen Anna in her mirror, while in her camping site, and saw when her sister was having an argument with Baldur – Aurelius – about how he had become such a cruel man with no feelings, but she couldn't really confront him with the truth, for he would realize she had found where he hid his book of black magic.

They were fighting over their son because Anna wanted to see Anthony once more, as she hadn't been allowed to leave Arendelle again after his wedding, and Princess Aminah had just given birth to their fourth child, and Anna hadn't even met their firstborn. She didn't want to die without having met her grandchildren.

"You just want to leave and never come back," Baldur had told her. "I won't have that."

"But why?! Why do you hold me prisoner? You don't need me here! Just let me be with my family before I die," Anna cried out.

Anthony had begged his mother in letters to come to Agrabah with him. He couldn't bear the idea of losing his mother without being able to say good-bye, or see her a last time.

Anna had been sick in the last year, weakening as depression made her lose any desire to go on living. She only barley touched her food anymore, and spent all her time inside her bedchambers with no desire to go outside to even let the sunrays touch her.

"Go back to your bedchambers, Anna. I'm tired of listening to the same whining every time you get your moon," Baldur dismissed her. But Anna was desperate; she dropped on her knees and tugged on his robe to plead.

"Please. I'm begging you. Let me spend my last years with my son and grandchildren."

"Don't do that. You know I hate drama, it's ridiculous." The King pulled his robe abruptly and moved away, causing Anna to fall to the floor and hit her face.

Upon seeing that image, Elsa couldn't contain her anger and the pain for her sister, provoking the sudden storm that hit Arendelle. She disappeared from the camp and went to the sea, looked at her kingdom from there, and stopped for a moment to think if she should just unleash her wrath to destroy everything and take her sister away with her. But as she began walking to the water, she noticed the little boat in the distance that was getting demolished with the force of the waves.

"Calm down, Elsa. The last thing you want is to cause more collateral damage," she said to herself.

But it was easier said than done, as the storm didn't want to cede. She had to build a path of ice to move faster in direction of the helpless fisherman and his son, and made water gush upwards into the air with the boat and the little family inside it, guiding it with her magic to glide in a path of ice until it hit shore.

"Look, Papa!" The boy yelled with excitement when he saw Elsa appear in a poof of white sparkly magic. She had been wearing her pale blue dress and the boy assumed the only thing that could explain this miraculous rescue. "An angel!"

"What?" Elsa was taken by surprise.

The child then came running to her side and embraced the middle of her body, making her heart feel warm, and the storm subside.

"I knew we weren't all alone! Did Mama send you from heaven?" The boy looked up at her with big brown eyes, full of hope. "Where are your wings?" He walked around her and touched her cape curiously. "Or are you a fairy?"

"I'm your fairy godmother," responded Elsa. "But when I turn to human size, my wings disappear," she explained to him.

It was a lie but it was innocent, because she couldn't reveal the truth of her origin, and it was something that made the child very happy to hear, that they had someone in the world that looked after them. Hope was something that had to be protected.

Before leaving, Elsa gave the boy something that was very meaningful to her; a small reindeer made out of wood. "Please take good care of Sven. He's a very special friend," she said before disappearing in a cloud of sparkly magic that smelled like fresh snow.

* * *

"A fairy godmother…" the King mumbled. "And she had ice magic, you say?" Baldur asked as he stroked his grey-streaked beard and looked closely at the small boy, making the child feel frightened and hide behind his father's leg.

"Yes, my King. She was a beautiful maiden, maybe in her middle twenties, with silver blonde hair, and eyes of the bluest sky." The father interjected nervously, keeping his gaze on the floor so he wouldn't disrespect the King.

"I see… That will be enough. Leave." Baldur released them.

It could only be Elsa, but he wouldn't be completely sure until he faced her.

* * *

After sending his dark knights to cease the rebels by the wall, Lord Aurelius took some extra measurements; he ordered his personal guard to bring Anna to his presence, and then took her with him to the Burning Tower.

"What's happening, what are you doing?" Anna questioned as he brought her along.

"We will wait together for an unwelcomed visitor _."_

Anna struggled but she wasn't strong enough to break free, and when she recognized the place to where they were headed, she felt her heart race inside her in fear. "No!" She screamed and hit him, remembering how Hans had used her as a puppet against her sister, but all this did was infuriate Aurelius.

"In all our time together, I have never laid a hand on you. Don't make it change tonight, you stupid girl."

"You've done worse! You've tortured me with the love I once had for… for you, and with the love I have for my son! What ever did I do to you?" Anna cried from impotency as she looked with rage into his eyes.

"Move," was all Aurelius answered and Anna walked in defeat before him to enter the forbidden tower.

In the battlefield, beasts fought against men, and blood painted the stone floors of Arendelle as war moved to inside the city, filling the streets with screams of pain and the image of horror that the monsters created.

A three-headed hound devoured a dark night, while a small dragon made a dozen soldiers turn into charcoal with the fire coming from its mouth without mercy. At the same time, a huge bat-like creature would come flying from the sky and pick up two men at a time, to later let them drop from a height and have them crash against the surface to break their bones.

It was horrific but necessary, as there were more dark knights than creatures of the shadows to fight this war in Arendelle.

"Find Anna," Elsa asked to the mirror. She focused her magic and, a moment later, the image showed them the Burning Tower in the reflection, but it didn't show them what lay inside. The chamber must have been protected by some spell.

"It's a trap," Regina said to her.

"I know," Elsa responded. She dissolved the mirror and looked at Regina. "I'll take it from here. It's too dangerous," she told her.

Regina looked at Elsa, took a deep breath, and just nodded. _Arguing with her will take you nowhere_ , she thought.

"Thank you," Elsa pressed her lips on Regina's and disappeared a moment later.

"What should I do with you?" Regina looked around her and stared at the half-frozen archers on the surveillance tower, who returned a frightened stare. "I have an idea…" She smirked maliciously.

She ripped out one of the archers' heart and asked him about the forbidden tower, but all he answered was what Elsa had already told her;  _it was unknown_.

Regina put back his heart and decided to explore the palace on her own.

She knew Elsa wouldn't allow her to come with her, so she pretended she would be staying in a safe spot.  _Well, slightly evil Queens lie,_  and she wouldn't stand with her arms crossed while Elsa walked right into a trap. She was inexperienced in war and Regina could tell this King Baldur was a real threat, unlike other opponents she had defeated in the past.

Regina didn't know the layout of the castle so she would transport carefully to different rooms and corridors only after checking if it was a safe landing. Some soldiers appeared from time to time to charge at her upon noticing her presence, but she just had to flick her wrist to make them… faint, as Elsa didn't want to take more lives than those that were inevitable in the field. Like it or not, these were Elsa's subjects, and the Ice Queen wanted to protect them – even from herself in this war.

Elsa transported to the entrance to the tower and cautiously scanned the room after seeing the door swing open to allow her passage.

 _No lock, no spell, nothing;_  this was an invitation to hell.

"Anna?" Elsa's voice echoed in the tubular building as she slowly stepped inside.

 _Elsa!_  Anna would have shouted if she could, but if she did, she would reveal her secret — that she remembered everything — so she remained quiet.

"Anna?" Elsa asked once again.

Suddenly, a big bell fell from the ceiling and captured her inside, but only temporarily, as she used her ice magic to freeze the metal and then made it shatter with a surge of energy that exploded from her body, freeing her from the entrapment.

"You're going to have to try harder. I'm not the same scared girl you met once long ago," Elsa warned him, but she couldn't yet see him, or Anna. And she wasn't even sure if Anna knew the truth, as the visions the Shaman had shown her, only spoke of what happened in Arendelle, not about the breaking curse in Agrabah.

An arrow was shot at her and Elsa barely managed to dodge it, getting a small cut on her left shoulder while moving away before it hit its target: her heart.

"Show yourself, coward!" Elsa yelled furiously and shot her magic as sharp spades made of ice that went flying in every direction, and got encrusted in the walls around her, making some of the eerie red glow in the chamber dim.

As her dozen ice spades hit the glowing boxes that made a second wall in the tower, an equal amount of knights fell suddenly lifeless in the battlefield, but they wouldn't know this, as both Elsa and Regina were dueling their own fights in the castle.

"I can see that. You're a murderer now," Lord Aurelius made his appearance at the top level, where the spiral staircase ended. That was from where the bell had fallen, and Elsa could now see Anna as the King held her firmly before him as a human shield. "Are you such a monster, you would kill the Queen of Arendelle to take the crown?" He asked her shamelessly.

"No!" Elsa closed her hands into tight fists. "How dare you!" Elsa growled, and her eyes locked in the fake King's with more hatred than she'd ever known, and she poofed closer in the stairs to where they stood.

Anna had to pretend she didn't know whom that  _unwelcomed guest_  was, and had to fight her strong need to let her sister's name slip out of her lips.

"Stop this!" Anna yelled and struggled in his grasp. "Who is she? Why are you doing this?" The mature woman asked both of them so not to blow her own cover.

"That woman is an impostor that wants to take your crown and make our realm submit to Misthaven. But Arendelle is nobody's subject, and a bitch from the Enchanted Forest is not going to take the throne from me—us," Baldur told her.

"The only impostor here is you! You're nothing but a lying bastard," Elsa was enraged, but she couldn't attack him because he was using her sister as protection, and Elsa was again helpless against a venomous serpent that cared for no one but himself. "Hiding behind an innocent woman… Who's the real monster?"

"As you do behind magic. I have to take my own measurements," he responded non-apologetic. "Speaking of which… Raz, I summon thee," He said as he held the dark book in a hand behind Anna, and both women's eyes opened wide in fear.

Meanwhile, Regina had gotten through the many hallways and passages until she made it to the door that lead inside the ungodly tower, and witnessed when the black smoke and reek of death moved in spiral to form the ancient creature she'd only read of in her sorcery books.

Raz was a creature even Rumplestiltskin was afraid of, and for which he'd searched the lands to find the book and lock away in his secret vault, without success. This reaper could surpass his power and if anyone ordered it to get rid of the Dark One, he very well could carry on with the task. At the expensive cost of the heart of a child made of True Love, and, while true love products were rare to locate, they certainly were easier to find than that cursed tome that forced Raz to obey whoever held the book in his power.

This had been part of the reason Rumplestiltskin had once had an interest in Cinderella's baby, for it was a potential threat to his existence, if the book ever emerged again. But it never did, as Baldur — Lord Aurelius, or whatever his true name had once been, was very selective of his victims, and never exposed his possession of the book. He knew magic always came with a price and he was an astute businessman, what had allowed him to maintain dominion over Raz for many decades, trading bodies with unexpected vessels.

"Raz, I have a present for you. You may have that woman's heart as a treat," Baldur ordered, and the dark creature was pleased with the gift his Master was giving him.

 _Nothing can be eternal,_ Regina thought as she looked at the imposing creature hover toward Elsa. None of them had noticed her presence yet.

As Raz got closer, he adopted the face of a woman and Elsa was stunned at the image before her. "Kristal," she whispered, and suddenly the heat of nearby flames and the smell of smoke made her aware of her surrounding, breaking her out of her trance and allowing her to move again.

"Don't even think about it," Regina menaced the fearsome reaper after teleporting to Elsa's side, and watched the monster as it made the fire on his ragged cloak die without effort.

"Regina! You shouldn't be here," Elsa exclaimed.

"Of course I have to. We protect each other, remember? We're stronger together."

The reaper took a particular interest in Regina and hovered towards her instead, changing his face into Cora, her father, and lastly; into Henry, her son.

Regina was shocked for a moment, but it didn't numb her for long, as she had experienced more mental torture in her life than any of this creature's victims together in theirs had.

"Your trickery won't make me lose my ground," she told him and shoot a white beam from her hands, channeling her light magic because fire or dark, would do nothing to a being of this kind.

The monster didn't expect this turn, for he had seen through Regina's eyes that her heart was nearly completely black, and her light magic attack took him by surprise.

Elsa shot her own magic against it as well, making it blend with Regina's in a powerful attack, and Anna used the distraction to bury her pointy heel in Baldur's foot, elbowed him in the stomach to break free, and tried to rip the book away from his hand, but he was much stronger and she couldn't snatch it away.

The King groaned in pain after Anna's sudden attack, but he didn't lose grip on the book, and hit her and made her fall down from the height, until she was free-falling in the air to hit against the floor, but Elsa was more alert now and used her magic to summon abundant soft snow in the bottom, where her sister could land safely without getting too badly hurt.

She immediately transported to her sister's side and made sure she was still breathing.

Without Elsa's magic mixing with Regina's, Raz had no problem reincorporating himself after their attack, grabbed Regina by the neck with his boney hand, and his spare hand moved to touch her stomach.

"What is this spark you hide in here?" The creature spoke, and Regina's eyes reflected the same horror Elsa's had when she looked up to see the monster get hold of her partner.

"NO! Don't touch them!" Elsa shouted from below, and had to leave her sister behind once again. "If you want a heart, mine should do," she told him and opened her arms to show she wouldn't fight anymore. "It's what you want, isn't it, Aurelius?" She turned to look at the impostor king.

"Your  _friend_ … She will try to avenge your death, so no. He will take both your hearts," Lord Aurelius said with indifference.

"She's pregnant! How can you be so cruel?!" Elsa cried out. "I promise she won't do such thing and will leave to never come back, if you let her and our child live."

"That's why women don't belong in war," he said with arrogance. "If she wanted to raise that abomination you call your child, she should've stayed home."

"Please… If you have any good left in you, let my child live. I promise I will never come back if you give us a second chance," Regina pleaded. She didn't want to lose Elsa, but neither did she want for her child to die before even being born. "My heart you can take and hold as leverage to make sure. Please… I can't loose my baby."

Regina ripped out her own heart and held it in her hand. Dark as coal, with very thin cracks of red from where a glow scintillated as sign of life.

Baldur had the upper hand again and was considering their proposal. He would get rid of Elsa at last, and with the Evil Queen's heart in his possession, there just wouldn't be anyone brave enough to ever again stand up against him. Regina alone was worth more than his thousand heartless slayers, and this offering was too juicy to let pass.

"Raz…" The vile man called him, and held the book in his hand with an air of superiority.

He really enjoyed having this much power, but it was never enough. There could always be  _more,_  and he wanted Regina now. For the first time in decades, he had found a woman he might actually enjoy using in different ways than just a prop to secure power.

"Master?"

"Bring me her heart," he ordered.

Raz took Regina's heart from her hand and went to give it to his master, and Aurelius observed the object from up close. "You're rotten to the core… just like me. Looks like I found my equal. We're a perfect match, my Evil Queen."

Elsa felt acid burn in her stomach at the lewdness with which he was holding, looking, and stroking Regina's darkened heart.

"I swear I will haunt you in your sleep and you will never have a night of peace for as long as you live," the silver blonde said with fury.

"Good thing I'm not afraid of ghosts. And I will make sure each night, I make the queen of your heart cry out my name for you," he sneered at her. "We might even start this night."

"Oh, I have an excellent idea," he said with excitement. He held Regina's heart close to his lips and spoke a command.

"Rip out Elsa's heart and crush it until it's nothing but dust."

"No..." Regina groaned, but she couldn't stop herself from walking in direction of her True Love.

She tried to fight her own body but the control was too powerful, and she was now just a mere distance from her beloved. Tears streamed down her face as she locked eyes in blue with a sorrow so deep, it was hard to believe she didn't have her heart with her, but Elsa welcomed her fate with a smile on her face.

"I'm glad it will be you in the end," Elsa said softly and Regina cried as her hand turned into a claw ready to bury inside her chest.

"I shouldn't have come," Regina told her while still fighting her own body to carry on with the order. "You were right."

"I would be dead already if you hadn't, my love. But at least, like this, I can see you for a last time," Elsa smiled warmly as her own tears fell. "I love you, and I trust our child will see the light of day in Arendelle one day. Our sacrifice won't be in vain."

Elsa threw her body forward and Regina's hand buried inside her chest, and, as they embraced this way, the blonde whispered something into her ear."If you wish upon a star," she told her sweetly, and then Regina noticed she had put the enchanted snowflake necklace around her neck.

"I wish for you to go home."

"Elsa!" Regina yelled as a bright light shone from the pendant and sucked her inside a vortex, until both Regina and the enchanted trinket disappeared from sight, leaving Elsa to face her fate with Raz and Aurelius.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back with an update! I've checked and checked x 10000 and I keep making changes, corrections, additions and whatnot, so please be patient if you find errors. Phew! Thank you SO MUCH for your patience and support. I'm sorry for that cliffhanger. I usually leave them at a happy place because I know it might take me long before another update, but this time I was kinda evil. So sorry! XD I still can't believe this Elsa and Regina adventure has taken quite a long trip. I regret nothing!

A swirl of light and air spiraled into the pendant and Regina couldn't do anything to stop getting sucked into its power. She was terrified at the possibility of appearing in an unknown world, as the floating realm in between theirs had vanished when Regina crossed over to the fairytale land. But after the explosion of magic and the bright light faded away, she looked around her and felt relief to find a familiar context. She was back in Storybrooke, in her own bedroom, and Henry was sleeping on her chair while wearing the second necklace that complemented the pair. Regina had put inside the envelope she gave to Olaf when they sent him through the portal door to find Henry.

She didn't think the necklaces could work again after transcending realms with the power of their true love and their child's, and Regina was baffled that the magical pendants could still hold enough power to make one last trip. Elsa must have known this but kept it from her.

Regina went to her son's side and gently squeezed on his shoulder. "Henry," she said softly to wake him up.

"Mom? Is this a dream?" He opened his eyes lazily, rubbed them with his hands—his vision was a little blurry—until he could focus his sight on his mother.

"You're not dreaming, my little prince. I'm back," Regina said sweetly, though she could not fully mask the worry in her voice.

"Mom!" He embraced her tightly, and then another—smaller—person, or thing, hugged her leg.

"Mom!" Olaf greeted her with excitement and Regina was so happy to see him, she didn't remind him her name was Regina, not mom.

A lively Olaf was a sign Elsa was still a live, her magic was still latent, but she had to go back as soon as possible if she wanted it to remain this way. Time moved differently when they traveled with the magic of these pendants and she didn't know if time had passed or not, as she had jumped _right_  into Storybrooke, without a _middle_  dimension.

Henry had seen the pendant glow brightly over his nightstand at some point during the night, waking him from his slumber, and immediately put it on, but nothing happened. He had a _hunch_  and sneaked out of his grandparents' apartment and went home, to the last place where his mother had been, and then fell asleep while waiting  _in vain_ for an adventure—until this moment.

In the letter Regina had sent him with Olaf, she told him about the magic of these relics and how it helped her go back to the fairytale world. But since it had taken a grand power to make the portal jumping, they weren't sure they still held any magic left to use for this intent—well, Regina wasn't. She had sent it as a gift for her son to receive if it would be her last present, should they perish at the hands of the King of Arendelle.

But even if the pendant had contained any magic, Henry hadn't been born in the magical land, so he couldn't have used it to travel to their world. But it served as anchor to bring Regina back to Storybrooke the moment Elsa put it on her and made her wish to send her to safety, where the Duke of Weselton couldn't command her heart to do things she didn't want to.

Elsa must have figured it out, or she knew more than she pretended to about these lockets.  _Of course,_ she'd been living for months in the Enchanted Forest, and Belle was almost like her sister; she must have taught her many secrets of magic during this time away. But this card Elsa had hid up her sleeve could only buy them so much time before Aurelius took it against her, and Regina was desperate to go back to protect her, but she needed help. Raz was too powerful. They needed a Savior.

"We must go to the portal door, Henry. Call Emma. We need her. With her light magic and mine and Elsa's combined, we can defeat Raz together." She hurried him and poofed themselves to the Charming's apartment right away.

"Emma! Emma!" The mayor yelled, and Mary Margaret came to tell her Emma was out with Ruby, and scowled at Henry when she realized the sneaky brat had escaped in the middle of the night without telling anyone.

"Typical. When you need saving, the Savior is out of reach," Regina grumbled.

"But, Regina, how? When did you come back?" Mary Margaret asked her, but Regina had no time for chitchat.

"Just now. There's a portal somewhere in the woods, but I have to go now. Elsa's in danger and I have no time for this. Henry, you'll stay here. Olaf, let's go." She poofed them to the mountain, but then realized someone had clung to her when she teleported.

"Henry!" Regina exclaimed.

"Mom! You're not leaving me behind again," Henry said sharply, eyes reddened.

"It's too dangerous," Regina felt conflicted. She wanted to bring her son with her so she could show him their world, but the timing couldn't have possibly been any less favorable.

"So I'll stay somewhere safe. Please, I want to come with you."

"When this is over, I promise I'll come back for you. Until then, please stay here with Emma," Regina said sadly. She knew that might actually never happen. The danger was real.

"It's not the same! Nobody cares about me anymore. First Elsa, then Ruby; neither of you acknowledge my existence. I feel invisible!" Henry cried against his will, letting out words he'd been keeping hidden. "I don't belong anywhere. I'm alone," his voice sounded smaller and it broke Regina's heart.

"Henry…" Regina thought for a moment, but she really had no time waste. "Very well. But I'm leaving you somewhere safe, and I need you to promise me you will stay there and not go on your personal adventures until I get back to you."

"Deal," Henry offered a small smile as he wiped off his tears.

"But… should I fail to return," his mother made a long, skin chilling pause. "You will immediately come back to Storybrooke through the portal."

"Hey, don't say that. You _will_  make it back, mom, and you will show me your world. Promise," he looked deep into glassy brown eyes.

"I promise I will do my best to come back to you," Regina wiped her tears away and kissed him in the forehead. "Let's go."

Regina could sense light magic nearby and Olaf guided them to the portal door's location, she waved a hand to undo the cloaking spell that made it seem there was a precipice instead of a cave into the mountain, and smiled at Henry.

"Since this is a door to our world,  _anyone_  may come and go, even if they weren't born there," she spoke like a teacher would explain a student, but then her tone became motherly once more. "I'm so proud of you, Henry. You executed the spell perfectly," she put a hand over his shoulder and squeezed lightly.

"It was easy. I've been practicing," he smirked smugly. He was clearly Regina's child.

When they passed through the dimensional bridge, Belle was already waiting at the other side for them. "I will keep him safe," she assured Regina, who was positively surprised because she hadn't called yet for her help, and couldn't ever be thankful enough for Belle's unconditional support to Elsa and to  _her_ , of all people. Life made many turns and Regina was glad they had made amends.

* * *

_Minutes earlier. After Regina disappeared from the palace._

* * *

"How dare you mock me again!" Lord Aurelius was furious after Regina was gone.

He walked up to Elsa and suddenly slapped her in the face.

"You just had to make me do this, didn't you?" He blamed her for his violence. "Why do women enjoy bringing the worst out of me? I don't get it."

"You've always been your worst! You're scum, and I will never stop coming after you until I succeed getting rid of you," Elsa's hands glowed with magic, but just as she was about to shoot it, Lord Aurelius held something before him.

"I still hold that cunt's heart in my hand, did you forget?" He punched her in the stomach and caused her to lose her breath and fall on her knees. "You look much better like this. Bending the knee for me."

Elsa was having difficulty with catching her breath, and pain made it impossible for her to defend. He knelt beside her and his free hand went to tug on her hair, as his left kept a steady grasp on Regina's beating heart.

"You know, I could learn to like you with your short hair, though. Reminds me of my previous steward," he grinned with malice as he yanked to see her more closely, his stinking tobacco breath over her, giving Elsa an unpleasant feeling. "But your face I still can't stomach. Maybe I should have Raz provide you with a new one."

"Lay a hand on her and I will end you!" Regina's voice was loud and dangerous, and caught him off-guard.

He turned around and found the Evil Queen standing very close to them. It had taken her some minutes but she was back, and relieved to see Elsa was still alive.

Elsa was trying to recover her breath and had not enough strength to break free from Aurelius' grasp. She was also very frustrated to see Regina back so soon, but at the same time was glad her partner was an untamable force that would obey no one but herself, and Elsa admired her free spirit.

"What big balls you have to come back when I still hold your heart in my hand," Aurelius smirked proudly, and a strange glint glimmered in his eyes.

 _Was that... lewdness?_  Regina was uncomfortable, angry.

"Just like I like my men," he muttered under his breath. "There's a first for everything. Oh, don't look at me like that.  _I_  would be the one giving  _you_  the honor," he told her and rejoiced in seeing Elsa's glower. That was what gave him the most pleasure, toying with their feelings for each other.

"I don't have balls, you misogynist asshole," Regina told him. "And I  _won't_ be one of your fucktoys. I'm a Queen, and a bit more refined," she sized him with her own glare of disgust.

"Only for so long," he laughed. "Until I make you dance," he grinned as he squeezed a  _warning_  into Regina's heart.

He made Regina flinch, but she bit her lip and stood her ground. She was not going to show weakness, but she couldn't attack him because not only did he have her heart in his had, but he also had Elsa in his grasp.

Elsa began to struggle and Aurelius recognized the silver swirl of magic in her blue eyes, and immediately  _barked_  a command into Regina's heart.

"I command you to resume your task. Rip out Elsa's heart and crush it to dust," he ordered but the brunette didn't react this time. "What?" He was puzzld because it wasn't working.

Elsa used the opportunity of his confusion to break free, and ran to Regina's side.

Lord Aurelius was enraged and decided to squeeze at Regina's heart to punish her. "Enjoy your last moment together because _I will_  have my sweet victory and both your heads on a spike by dawn."

On their brief meeting, Belle provided Regina with an amulet that neutralized dark magic, preventing her from causing damage to others with the use of it, and the only magic she could have at hand was that born from light.

Regina fell on her knees in pain, and Elsa felt a new level of hatred for this vile monster.

A ray of light and blue magic suddenly blinded them, and then the guttural scream of a man echoed in the tower.

Regina's heart rolled down the spiral stairs, causing her to faint, and as the heart continued rolling down, it came to the edge and almost fell to a fatal end, but Elsa was able to magic it to her hand in time, and ran to her beloved's side to put it back inside her chest.

Baldur stared in shock at the blood pouring out from where his hands  _used to be_ , no longer in possession of Regina's heart, or even the Death Book, as it fell from the top level when Elsa's magic cut off his hands, and ripped part of his cloak and armor apart.

"Raz! Kill the blonde wench now!" Aurelius yelled desperately, seeing how quickly the game had been turned in favor of the rightful ruler of Arendelle.

"STOP!" They heard Anna's voice this time come from below them.

She had recovered conscience some minutes ago and got hold of the book when it fell from above. She made it close to them while they stood in surprise, and stopped Raz in time before he went to take Elsa's life.

"Anna," Elsa was relieved to see her awake, and even more when she saw her holding the cursed book in her hands as she walked closer to where  _Baldur_  lay now on his knees in pain.

"Please move away so I can finish him," Elsa asked her sister.

"What? No! This ends now. I don't want to lose anyone anymore!" Anna stood in front of  _Baldur_ , and Elsa couldn't quite believe her eyes.

"You don't have your memories, Anna. He's not who you think he is," Elsa tried to come closer but Anna held up the book and asked her to remain a distance.

"Don't try to hurt him or I will have Raz cease you in… I don't know, some un-harmful way," her sister told her, making the impostor Baldur smirk with pride.

"Anna, you're making a mistake," Elsa tried to reason.

"Elsa… I know exactly who he is," she told her and revealed her secret, that she remembered everything. "But he's also my love. Please, sister, you protected yours even when she didn't have her heart and was forced to rip yours out."

"It's not the same, Anna," Elsa said sympathetically.

"It is! Only it's his soul what was ripped from him, and it's trapped inside this book. Please! Let me have a second chance with him. I beg you."

Elsa looked into Anna's tearful eyes and nodded, and then used her magic to make ice rise from all around Lord Aurelius and trapped him in an unbreakable crystal cage from which no human without magic could escape.

Anna had the book safe in her possession and Ordered Raz to go back inside it, and watched as Elsa knelt beside Regina, took her in her arms carefully, and waved a hand above her head.

"Please wake up," she spoke softly and watched her magic take effect, and brown eyes opened slowly to look into blue that were filled with much love for her.

"My loves, how are you two feeling?" Elsa asked Regina as she now hovered a hand over her stomach to check if their child was safe, and smiled again when it glowed in response to her question. Baby was unharmed.

"I just feel slightly dizzy and have a headache," Regina responded.

Regina asked what had happened after she blacked out and Elsa explained how they had trapped the false king in the crystal cell. But when Regina reincorporated and walked to lean her weight against a wall, she noticed the familiar red glow coming from one of the boxes.

"Hearts," she mumbled. "There may be a thousand or more," she was shocked because it was a much bigger collection than the one Cora had collected during her time. That eerie red glow in the burning tower was from ripped-out hearts, she'd sensed it but didn't imagine they were so many.

"What?" Elsa looked at her in confusion.

Regina pointed at the wall around them, moved to open one of the boxes that had been broken when Elsa's icy spades got encrusted, and retrieved a dim heart to show her. Elsa was stunned momentarily and felt broken that it had been her own outburst what took the life of around a dozen people when she shoot her magic to make Lord Aurelius show himself.

"It's all my fault," Elsa wanted to cry but Anna embraced her.

"No, Elsa. It's Aurelius' fault," her sister tried to soothe her.

"So much death because of greed…" Elsa parted from her sister's hug slowly. "So much darkness," she said as she walked toward Aurelius' jail. "But these were the last lives you ruined with your hunger for power, Aurelius. You will meet true death, no more trickery."

He was bleeding out after having lost both of his hands, but Elsa healed his wounds and Regina kept his hands in a magical chest that would prevent them from decomposing. He was severely weakened but he still managed to pull a mocking smirk and Elsa felt tempted to wring his neck with the flick of her wrist, but resisted the urge for Anna's sake. There had to be a way to undo the spell and make Aurelius leave Bladur's body so the true Asgardian could occupy his place, next to his beloved.

Regina used her light magic to connect with all the glowing hearts at the same time, and ordered the owners of said hearts to stop fighting and retreat to the castle. At the same time, Elsa made appear a bright shooting star in the sky to let their own army know the war was over, and the creatures of the shadows stopped attacking the yielding slayers.

The courtyard slowly filled with the remaining heartless soldiers and with dark creatures that had once been human. The night was soon going to end and they still had a last task to fill before the sunrise.

Elsa went to the rooftop of the castle, pulled the Heart Stone out of a satchel, and held it up against the nightsky. The center of the stone began to glow and Elsa tried to align the small array of stars that scintillated at the core, with the stars that were up in the sky. It had to be done before the first rays of dawn, or wait another night, but they could spare no more time for it had already been thirty years of a curse.

The small stars aligned with the ones in the sky and a bright beam of light shoot from the stone bathe the whole realm in gold and white light, and when the sun began to rise, the people of Arendelle started to awaken from their loss of memory. All whom had known Elsa's existence began remembering, and the books and paintings of her that had disappeared, returned to occupy their places in the castle, the kingdom, and history. Hans' work was finally undone.

When Elsa was back inside the palace, she could already hear the echo of her name coming closer, as people advanced in the streets in a march for freedom, unity, and justice.

Every citizen went to the outer court of the castle and waited with hope that the gates would open again for them. They needed answers and demanded to know what had been of the Regnant Queen. What had been of Elsa of Arendelle.

The doors opened to welcome them to the courtyard, where the _no longer_ heartless slayers stood before the entrance to the palace in protection of the royal family. Queen Anna was the first to emerge up on the balcony, greeting her subjects and asking them to let her speak, but they weren't willing to listen, they wanted justice and demanded to have the Prince of Asgard executed for his crimes against the realm.

The commotion was understandable, but they had to listen and pay close attention, for what they would be seeing was going to be quite shocking. Still, they refused to hear anything that came from Anna because she was considered a traitor for supporting King Baldur all through his reign of oppression, and some did believe she wasn't mentally healthful.

" _Off with her head, too,"_  could be heard amongst the protest.

As the murmur and sudden yells of discontent continued, Elsa slowly emerged from behind her sister, and stood beside Anna to salute her subjects and appease them.

There was a unison gasp in the audience when the older people recognized her and the crown that had been lost for so many years. "Hail Queen Elsa of Arendelle!" They started exclaiming, but Elsa kindly asked them to be quiet.

"I may have been your Queen once, but now you have Queen Anna of Arendelle, and you will respect her as is your duty," she said to them, but people began shouting in opposition, what made Elsa irritated. "Or you will be held to the consequences," she was firm.

People became more silent, but the fractals weren't happy with her warning and took it as a threat. They had had enough of it with King Baldur and they wouldn't accept to live again a life of subjugation perpetuated by fear, and they were hungry for justice.

"You will be held to the consequences, as is going to be the man who betrayed Arendelle," Elsa said loudly, and with her magic she summoned the crystal cell in which the King was held captive.

Everyone turned to see the imprisoned vile King and felt their blood pump again in excitement and content that they might get their wish for justice after all. They wanted to see his head roll down the floor.

"This man is not who you believe he is," Elsa spoke. "He isn't Baldur of Asgard. This vile monster is the Duke of Weselton, who recurred to dark magic to posses his body and become King after murdering Hans."

People were both shocked and skeptic, but then Elsa beckoned her sister to come forth. Anna approached, held up the death book, and summoned Raz's presence for everyone to witness.

The dark creature appeared in a black cloud of magic and everyone believed her words now.

Raz, similarly to the Dark One, was unable to hurt whoever held the book in their hands, but their main difference was that he was a reaper of life, and his only form of payment for his every deed, cost a pure heart in return. But every curse could be broken, no matter how ancient, and Regina had asked Belle—who came to them after Elsa used the Heart Stone—to provide her with everything she knew about the book and Raz's existence.

Raz had lived for nearly a thousand years and was believed to have been created by the Black Fairy—mother to all wicked fairies that wielded dark magic—and it hadn't been figured out yet how to kill him, as he even feeded on True Love hearts. But there was a way to undo his last reaping.

Only the last life that had been stolen from light might be able to be recovered, if the vessel that had been its body still lived. Anna's hope had been right; they  _could_  attempt to draw Lord Aurelius out of Baldur's body to return his soul trapped in the cursed book, but all magic had a cost. Light or dark, you still had to pay for a deal with the reaper.

"If you want a life, a pure heart will be the price," Raz told them.

"We can't trade the life of an innocent for another, Anna. This isn't—" Elsa was speaking.

"It isn't right. I… know," Anna smiled sadly, and her tears fell on the page that contained Baldur's story. She held the book against her chest and wept silently.

"Unless someone gives it willingly," they heard the soft, tired voice of Nan Josephine come from below.

"Nan Josephine!" Anna exclaimed surprised to see her, and ran down the stairs so she could go embrace her.

It had been her fear that she had already died in the hands of her—no, not her husband; the impostor, and it was a big impression to find her Nan was still alive, and very much kicking.

"My little blossom of joy, what I wouldn't give to see you smile again," the mature lady said lovingly. "If my heart can make such a miracle, please let me do it. There's nothing I wish more than to afford you, the two of you, happiness, my blossom and my snowflake."

"No! We wouldn't. We can't. We love you," Anna hugged her tightly as she cried.

"I have lived enough, and don't that have many years left in this old, tired body, anyway. I wish to make this present to you," she told her. "Let it be my gift."

Anna had been holding the book but her grip on it loosened while in their embrace, and the older woman used her distraction to snatch it and order Raz to take her heart as payment and let the life of Baldur out of the book page.

"No!" Both Anna and Elsa screamed while they watched the creature follow the command.

They watched in shock as Raz expelled the Duke of Weselton from King Baldur's body to return the right soul to its vessel, and as he did, Lord Aurelius kept screaming that they would pay for this, that he would find his way back to tear their kingdom to shreds, until he was finally cast out of Baldur's body and the story of the Duke of Weselton replaced the chapter of the third Prince of Asgard, the man who came to Arendelle in search for a second chance and met Princess Anna.

After finishing with his end of the deal, Raz proceeded to rip Nan Josephine's heart out, but when the creature swallowed the glowing heart, began to combust. White rays of light started to spurt out of its body until it finally exploded, and the only thing left behind was the red glowing heart on the ground.

"Naaaaaan," the sisters cried out as they ran to her side. She was lying on the ground, a mere distance from her heart, and was still breathing, and the heart was still beating. They put it back inside and the old woman smiled to them.

"A selfless act of true love," Belle commented.

Nan Josephine had sacrificed herself for her little princesses, and that was the undoing for the reaper.

"A heart given willingly, not  _taken_  from an innocent to be used as payment," Regina explained as she moved to their side.

With Raz gone, the book began to turn into dust, putting an end to that ancient curse.

They went to see Baldur, and when Anna approached the cage, his pupils widened in surprise and he ran to see her from up close through the bars.

"How long has it been?" He asked her and tried to touch her face but couldn't, and a look of horror invaded his expression.

"Right… Your hands," Regina said, and used her magic to return his missing limbs.

"Is it really you?" Anna looked closely and her eyes welled up in tears when she could recognize the warmth with which he had once looked at her so many years ago. "My prince!" She cried out, and Elsa vanished the cell so they could embrace.

Regina and Elsa held hands as they looked with warmth at the heartbreaking reunion, as did the rest of Arendelle, and everyone heartedly cheered for them. It was the start of something beautiful for Arendelle, at last. There was a new sun shining upon them with the promise of a brighter future.

* * *

"Why didn't you claim the throne? Wasn't that part of the reason why you cast the curse?" Regina asked Elsa once they were in what had been Elsa's bedchambers in her childhood. She was sitting on bed, finishing buttoning a borrowed nightgown that had been Anna's while pregnant with Anthony.

"Because I can't stay in Arendelle. It stopped being my home the moment you became it. I just needed to make sure my sister could have the same," Elsa answered.

She walked up to Regina and knelt before her by the bed.

"You're the rightful Queen of Misthaven," she told Regina as she took her hands in hers. "Would you have me be your Princess Consort and rule beside you?" Elsa asked with a faint blush on her cheeks and a nervous smile on her lips.

"What… do you mean?" Regina asked shyly, and her eyes twinkled with happiness. She wanted to hear it with all the words.

"Would you do me the honor of becoming my spouse? Would you marry me, Regina?"

Regina's eyes filled with tears, she leaned down and cupped Elsa's face in her hands and brought her face close to kiss her. "Yes," she answered before pressing their lips. "Yes," she placed another kiss.

"I wish to share my life with you. You'll be my Queen, my Princess Consort, my lover, my best friend, my everything for as long as I may live," Regina said with happy tears, but then her tone of voice changed.

"But if you  _ever_ cast a curse without me again, I will fireball your vanilla ass back to Arendelle. Do you understand?" Regina said both playfully and seriously, and Elsa chuckled gleefully.

"Never again, my chocolate spoon. I promise."

They were exhausted and needed to have some rest, and now that peace had been restored, they could sleep this day nap without anything to fear for. It was nearly impossible to believe all what they had been trough, but they were back together, their child was safe, and Anna finally had Baldur with her, and soon she would be able to see her son as well. Happy endings were coming their way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always well appreciated. :)


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